


Twisted

by almwolfhunter07



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Dark Mage Callum, Depression, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Hurt, Hurt Callum (The Dragon Prince), Hurt No Comfort, Psychological Trauma, References to Depression, Suicidal Thoughts, be sure to check notes for warnings, ill make it clear, incredibly slow slow burn, warnings will be used, world building
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:20:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25521232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/almwolfhunter07/pseuds/almwolfhunter07
Summary: It was never supposed to be like this. Callum would have never guessed that within one night his entire world would be changed for the worst. With his father and brother dead, he must struggle to find his place as the new king of Katolis. How could anyone possibly think him fit after what happened?Callum struggles in the aftermath of the successful assassination attempt on his family. He struggles to deal with not only the fate of his kingdom but his own crippling self doubt. He can't shake that he could have done more to help his father and brother, and eventually turns to the only thing he seems to be good at: Dark Magic.
Relationships: Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 50
Kudos: 85





	1. Destinies

**Author's Note:**

> OK! So this was a long time coming. Idk why I just felt the need to turn the cinnamon roll that is Callum into an edgelord Dark Mage, but here we are! As I said in the tags, this is not a feel good story, just my justification to explore a character's psyche as they slip into madness, yaaaay!
> 
> But seriously, this story is going to contain mature themes, including depression and suicidal ideation. For those who struggle with either of these things, I will include warnings in the notes as well as in the chapter itself if you feel the need to avoid mention of such topics. That being said, it will not appear often, it'll only be in a few chapters. This story is meant for me to explore Callum as a character if he was forced to live in a world without Ez or Harrow, or anyone really, so it will have a lot of dark thoughts from and about himself, just so you're warned. I'm rambling... let's get on with the show, shall we?

It was easy. To Rayla, it was nothing but a mission, much like the ones that she had done time and time again back home. She didn’t even see what happened, as the gloomy weather covered the light of the nearly full moon. It was a quick death, one slice and the man’s astounded shout was cut silent. She backed up and turned away, walking back to her troup before she could think about what she had done. It was all a part of her job, but this wasn’t the end. Tomorrow the real mission began, the mission to finally take revenge on the humans for what they did to King Avizandum and his only heir, the Dragon Prince.

~~~  
Callum walked through the halls, sighing at the thought of the sword practice he was on his way to attend. He hated sword play, mainly because he was terrible at it, much like he was terrible at everything else he tried that came with being a prince. Not to mention Soren wasn’t the best teacher. Instead of actually teaching him techniques and the correct stances, he usually just used the time to beat up on him, to get back at Callum for whatever it was Soren blamed him for. It annoyed Callum, and he wasn’t sure how much he could take, but for now, he would put up with it. It was what was expected of him as a prince.

He arrived at the courtyard in a timely manner, and, as always, Soren was late. He glanced around, wondering where the muscle head was. Ah well, Callum supposed he could take this opportunity to finally continue his sketch. He went and sat down on the stone bench that was situated under an old tree that grew on the far side of the courtyard. He had just turned to the sketch he had been working on, when the tip of a wooden sword was suddenly dropped on the page. Callum jumped and looked up at Soren, who was glaring at him. 

“Just because it is known as the ‘art’ of sword fighting, doesn’t mean that we are actually doing art.” He raised an eyebrow at Callum, as though what he said wasn’t obvious.

Callum fought to not roll his eyes, quickly shrugging off Soren’s sword and setting down his sketchbook, grabbing the other sword Soren had haphazardly thrown on the ground. Soren jerked his head to the center of the courtyard, where all the skirmishes took place. Callum sauntered after him, arms already feeling stiff, like they always did after his sword fighting practice. He hefted the sword and waited for the onslaught that Soren brought upon him. 

As Callum had expected, he was quickly knocked to the ground, groaning at the impact, rubbing his arm where a bruise was sure to form later that day. He glared up at Soren, who did not look amused by Callum’s weak performance. He began to go on about Callum’s poor stance and battle technique, never once demonstrating how it should be done. Callum eventually tuned him out, struggling up from the ground and shaking himself off. He hefted his sword once more and waited for Soren to come at him. However, before any attack came, another guard ran up to him, a panic look on his face. 

“Soren, King Harrow and Lord Viren need to speak with you. Urgently.” Callum blinked as Soren nodded, dutifully rushing after the guard to see what his father and the king wanted, leaving Callum to wonder what that was all about. 

It doesn’t matter. Callum thought as he picked up the two training swords to put them away for the next time, and went to grab his sketchbook. Whatever is going on must not concern me if I wasn’t summoned. 

Callum left the courtyard, deciding to visit the library for some light reading.

~~~

Viren and King Harrow were urgently discussing the news that had reached them this morning. A dead guard had been found in the forest that surrounded the castle, not even an hour walk away. Whoever had slain the guard was quick with their work, it was clear they knew what they were doing. 

“So you’re saying that whoever killed that guard could be… an assassin?” Harrow asked, side eyeing Viren to catch his reaction. 

Viren scrunched his brow, thinking about what Harrow asked. “I mean, it makes sense, doesn’t it? We killed the king of the dragons, knowing the elves, they may have sent assassins to kill you next. We must be vigilant. I fear that if you are in danger, Prince Ezran may be as well.”

King Harrow’s heart tightened at the thought of anything happening to his youngest son. “We did destroy that egg… I suppose it would make sense they would go after my heir as well…”

Viren nodded. “Whatever may be the case, I believe it is crucial we take immediate action.”

Harrow sighed and looked out the window that overlooked the courtyard, watching as Callum grabbed his stuff and walked back into the castle. He debated if it was right to tell Callum. How would he react knowing his family was in danger? He knew Callum and him weren’t as close as Harrow wished, but he cared for Callum and his well being. He knew if Callum found out that Ezran was potentially being targeted by assassins, he would do everything in his power to protect him, and Harrow would do anything in his power to protect his sons. 

He turned as the door opened and Soren came rushing in, breathing heavily. He was thankful the Crown Guard had been so quick in getting here, this was an important mission he would be tasked with. “Thank you for coming so quickly, Soren.”

Soren bowed, still breathing heavily. “Of course, King Harrow. So… what’s going on?”

He came back up and sent a confused glance at his father who was standing rim-rod straight, arms crossed with a serious look on his face. Not unusual behavior from his father, but the look in his eyes told Soren that something was wrong. Harrow sighed and turned back towards the window before addressing Soren. 

“Lord Viren and I fear that there are elf assassins coming for my life. We do not know the extent of the danger, but we have a sneaking suspicion that Ezran’s life may be in danger as well. I need you to take both of my boys to the Banther Lodge. You should be safe there, and I will send a letter to General Amaya so she knows to hurry back to give you three extra protection…”

Soren could barely believe what he was hearing. He knew his father and the king had slain the last king of the dragons near the end of fall last year, so he supposed that sending assassins to enact revenge on King Harrow wasn’t unheard of, but on Ezran as well? He was an innocent kid, it was despicable! Soren nodded at the instructions given, wishing he could do more to protect the king, but knew it was helpless to try and put the king’s life before his sons. 

His father didn’t seem to feel the same as he turned on King Harrow. “Harrow, what about you? How will you protect yourselves from these assassins?”

Harrow turned on Viren, a defiant gleam in his eye. “I’ve survived assassination attempts before. I can protect myself if it comes to it, my sons cannot. Their protection must be assured.”

Viren frowned. “I fear that you may be in over your head. What if these assassins… are Moonshadow elves?”

Harrow narrowed his eyes. “And what makes you so sure that they are?”

“Think about it Harrow. Tonight is a full moon. That guard had been expertly slain, only a highly skilled assassin would make such a precise cut. I’m just saying, we must prepare for the worst.” Viren explained.

Harrow nodded. “Nonetheless, my plan remains the same.” He turned to Soren who stood at attention. “Soren, quickly collect Callum and Ezran and make haste to the Banther Lodge. Viren, help spread the word of the impending attack, we must prepare for what could very well be my last night alive.”

~~~

Viren sneered as he walked away from the throne room. He couldn't believe what Harrow was doing, putting those insolent brats over his own life. Perhaps he could understand Ezran, since he is the heir, but the boy, Callum, was a waste of space, unable to succeed at anything but art. He was unfit to be a prince. But Viren knew Harrow better than anyone, and he would not stand for his children getting hurt. He must find a way to protect Harrow against his own judgement.  
Later that day, Viren stood in his room, a pile of ancient texts covering the table. He had searched through all of them, trying to find a way to protect the king and Ezran if it came to it. He knew of one way… but it was cruel, he wasn’t sure if he could do it to his best friend. As he sat there weighing his options, a knock brought him out of his thoughts. He called for them to come in and blinked in surprise as his daughter, Claudia, walked in, looking worried. 

“Hey dad, I just heard what was going on…” She shifted restlessly, obviously nervous about the events, as any sane person would be. “Soren told me he was taking Callum and Ez to the Banther Lodge to protect them, but what about the king?”

Viren sighed, leaning on the table, head tucked between his shoulders. “Harrow is a wise man with a stubborn sense of justice. If he thinks he can prevent any harm to his loved ones, he’ll do anything, including risking his own life. We must make sure he survives the night. I’m working on a solution… I have one ready if I can’t find another, but I pray I do not have to use it.”

Claudia sighed. “Is there anything I can help with, dad? You shouldn’t be taking this burden alone.”

Viren shook his head. “Go and help you brother rally the princes. Knowing them, they’re off galavanting around like nothing is happening.”

Claudia nodded and began to leave when she turned back to Viren. “Everything is going to be ok, dad.” 

When Claudia left, Viren stood up, looking at the pile of textbooks that yielded no results. “I hope so.”

~~~

Everything was going terribly! Soren had searched the entire castle for the princes, finding Callum where he expected him to be, in the library studying nerd stuff, but he had yet to find Prince Ezran, and he was running out of time. Callum walked behind him, a worried look on his face as they looked around the castle for a second time. 

“Where could he be!?” Soren exclaimed, feeling the need to hit something in his frustration.

Callum sighed, gripping the strap to this sketchbook tightly between his two hands. “I’m not sure, but if I had to guess, he’s exploring the hidden tunnels in the castle.”

Soren groaned. “That’s just great! That’s the last place he needs to be right now… Listen, Callum, this is important, I need you to go and find Claudia, she should be near the entrance to the castle grounds. She and a few other guards will escort you to the Banther Lodge to await further instructions…”

Callum furrowed his brow. “What about Ezran? Soren, what is going on that we need to go to the lodge?”

Soren shifted his gaze, never good at keeping a secret. He glanced up at Callum who had fixed him with a cold stare. “Ugh, I can’t tell you, but trust me, I’ll find Ez and get him there safely, you have my word, ok? Don’t you trust me?”

Callum looked him up and down, obviously suspicious, but relented, seeing that whatever was happening was too important to argue with. He nodded and turned around to begin heading towards the castle gates. Meanwhile, Soren turned and began running around the castle, hoping to run into Ezran soon.

~~~

Ezran giggled as Bait chomped up the last jelly tart in his hand. He had snuck into the tunnels like he normally did with a whole stash of jelly tarts to share with his beloved glow toad. As Bait finished off the jelly tart, Ez pushed the portrait that hid the corridor from view. It led to Viren’s office of sorts, filled to the brim with books that he was sure his brother, Callum, would have a geek fest over. Viren wasn’t here at the moment, but a pile of books on the table and a candle that was still lit told Ezran that he had been, not too long ago. Ezran wondered what he was studying.

A large window was open on the other side of the room. The full moon was just beginning to rise. 

It was that late already? Ezran had been in the hidden tunnels a lot longer than he had intended. He had better get going, dinner would be soon. 

Ezran was just about to leave when a sudden gust of wind blew out the candle, leaving Ezran in the dark. He heard Bait croak grumpily and began to glow… revealing a lithe figure. Ezran stepped back when he saw her horns and pointy ears… an elf. His eyes drifted to the blades that she held in her four fingered hands. 

“Uhhhh, hi?” He tried for a smile, but the elf didn’t seem to be one for pleasantries.

“Quiet, human, I’m looking for someone, and you’re going to tell me where I can find them. Now, where is Prince Ezran?” The elf sneered and held up her blades, pointing one directly at his throat.

Ez gulped and shifted. “Uuuhhhm, he’s not here? Yeah, he, uh, went away! Far away, to… uhm.”

The elf jabbed her blade towards him. “Stop with the rambling and tell me!”

“I.. can’t! Becaaause, I don’t know… where he is?” Ezran was having difficulty trying to find a way out of this situation.

The elf narrowed her eyes, taking in his state of dress with the help of Bait’s soft glow. “You seem to be pretty well appointed, you must work very close to him. Or, given your nervous attitude, I would say you are him.” 

Ez blinked before smiling awkwardly. “Well, you found me, but before you do anything rash, have you met Bait? Say hello to my little friend.”

Ezran quickly averted his eyes as Bait emitted a blinding light, that quickly immobilised the elf. Ezran then turned and ran, quickly shutting the portrait before retreating down the halls. Bait continued to emit a soft glow as Ezran ran to try and escape the elf that obviously wanted to kill him. He knew of one place he could escape to, he just prayed he remembered the combination. He stopped at a seemingly dead end, placing Bait on the ground next to him as he began to type in the combination to open the secret entrance. As he was in the middle of pressing the last stone, he heard the elf say something in the distance. Shoot, he must not have shut the portrait all the way!

After the last rock was pressed, a spiral staircase opened up, leading down into a secret room that housed all sorts of materials for Viren and Claudia’s dark magic. It was one of Ezran’s least favorite places, but for right now, it would have to do. He quickly made his way down the stairs, pressing down a stone statue to lift up the stairs.

“Few, we should be safe, Bait. That combination took me months to figure out!” Bait grunted.

However, as soon as he had said it, the stone staircase began to descend, the elf standing on the last step as it came down. 

Ez gasped. “But, how did you…?”

The elf smirked at him. “I just pressed all the rocks with the jelly hand prints.”

Ezran face palmed. How could he have been so stupid? As the elf stepped closer to him, he could see now that she was a young elf, probably around the same age as his brother. He backed up, hands splayed out in front of him. 

“Please, don’t do this!” He begged, not caring at all about his dignity.

The elf looked away. “I don’t want to do this, trust me. But I have to, King Harrow slew the King and destroyed his only egg. Justice will not be denied!”  
Ez hunched his shoulders, clutching Bait close to him. “I’m so sorry that happened… but I didn’t do anything! Maybe I can help make it right another way?”

The elf stared at him with sad eyes. “I’m sorry it has to be this way.”

Ezran backed up as the elf stalked towards him, swords raised. Bait wouldn’t be able to flash for at least another few minutes, what was he going to do? There was another corridor leading out from this one, maybe if he could get to his dad, he would know what to do. Ezran glanced around, eyes landing on a blanket that covered something upon a pedestal. Not even looking, he grabbed the blanket and tossed it at the elf before turning and running.  
~~~

Rayla growled in frustration as Prince Ezran made his last ditch effort to escape. She quickly made quick work of the blanket that had been tossed in her face, and was about to go after him, when the gentle glow of the now revealed egg of the Dragon Prince caught her attention. Rayla nearly had a heart attack, how could this be, how could the egg be here? She went up to examine it, ensuring that it was the real thing. She had to get it out of here, she needed to return it to its mother! Tucking her blades away, she scooped the egg up, shocked by its weight. Soon guards would be flooding the castle grounds looking for her, she was sure, getting back to camp was her best possible bet to ensure the egg’s safety. Without a second thought, she turned and ran back up the stairs until she got tot he corridor they had come down. Listening carefully and determining it was safe, she ran back to the study, making sure she didn’t run into anyone. The egg’s glow could easily give her away if she wasn’t careful… an idea struck her, and she quickly shrugged off her hood, draping it over the egg, before turning invisible as the full moon slowly rose into the sky. With the egg covered and herself nearly invisible, she snuck out of the castle, rushing back to her camp as quickly as she could. 

~~~

Ezran ran all the way to his father’s quarters. Soldiers had been positioned along the walls, including in front of the door to his father’s suit. They looked surprised to see him, but said nothing as he quickly opened the door… to reveal his father and Lord Viren in a serious discussion. His sudden arrival cut them off.

Harrow’s eyes widened, a sudden dread filling them as Ez ran up and hugged his leg. “Ezran? What are you doing here? Why are you not with your brother?”

Ezran shook his head. “I was in the tunnels and this elf girl attacked me! She wanted to kill me, dad!”

Harrow gasped and hugged Ezran close. “I’m so sorry, I should have been there. Don’t worry, you’re safe now.”

Ezran nodded, but his attention was drawn to Lord Viren who stared at them, a dark look on his face. 

“If there was one, then there are sure to be others. We are out of time…” Viren lowered his head, like he was thinking. 

Harrow looked like he wanted to say something to his friend, but was cut off by the sudden cacophonous sounds of swords clashing from outside the door. Harrow quickly pushed Ezran behind him and stood his ground, sword raised, ready to defend his son with his life, but he never got the chance. Viren suddenly began chanting, like he usually did when performing dark magic. Ez turned towards him, watching as he raised his staff towards him and his dad, his purple eyes all he remembered as a sudden wrenching pain began in his gut. His dad must have felt it too, as it caused Harrow to turn towards Viren, eyes wide.

“What are you doing?” The king choked out, falling to his knees in the pain. 

Ez collapsed, screaming in pain as he tried to go to his father. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but he was scared. The pain soon overtook him, and the last thing he saw before the world faded to a gloomy black was his father reaching out towards him before collapsing himself.


	2. Breakdown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum waits to hear what happened to Ez. Rayla decides what to do with the information that the Dragon Prince lives.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, here we are, back with the angst train! Now that the Rayllum Birthday Bash is over, I can now solely focus on this story!
> 
> Warnings for this chapter: Self-depricating thoughts (signaled by ****), very brief implication of suicide, anxiety

Callum paced back and forth in the living room, waiting and hoping that any moment now the door would open, revealing Soren with Ez in tow… but it never came. He had tried to distract himself, to draw or read, but it was no use. Even Claudia’s demonstration of the new magic she had been learning didn’t stop him for worrying. It had been at least two hours since he had arrived at the lodge, surely Soren should have been able to get Ezran and arrive there by now! They couldn’t have been a few miles from them, could they?

Callum felt like he would rip his hair out in frustration. Every small sound or noise caused him to jump, looking at the door in anticipation, before it was quickly snuffed out as the door never opened. The minutes were ticking by, but just as he thought he wouldn’t be able to take it anymore, there was a knock. Callum couldn’t remember being so antsy to answer, but when he threw open the door, it was someone he wasn’t expecting. His Aunt Amaya, along with her Assistant General and interpreter, Gren.

He blinked, eyes wide as he stepped back to let her in. Gren, came in just after, looking around. ‘Aunt Amaya? What are you doing here?’ He clumsily signed, his fingers shaking from the lack of use and the anxiety of Ez’s absence

Aunt Amaya smiled at him, scooping him up in a big hug before plopping him down to answer him. ‘The king sent me an urgent letter early this afternoon, requesting me to get to the Banther Lodge as quickly as I could, so here I am. Gren and I rode all afternoon.’

Gren chuckled, signing as he spoke. “Yes, it was quite a journey. I didn’t know you could even make it to the Banther Lodge from the Breach that quickly, but here we are.”

Callum smiled at them softly, before he lowered his head, signing, hesitantly. ‘Ez still isn’t here. We got separated when the order was given to retreat here, and Soren said he would go and find him before escorting him here. But it’s been hours, and they still haven’t arrived. I’m afraid something may have happened to them…”

His aunt looked at him with worry, looking up as Claudia walked up to them. ‘Do you know where your brother might be?’

Claudia shook her head. “No, he told me to wait by the door to help him bring Callum and Ez here. Callum said Ez was probably playing somewhere in the castle, but I can’t imagine he would be that hard to find. I- they should have been back by now.”

Aunt Amaya nodded. ‘They may have gotten lost on the way to the lodge. The path here is hard to see with no light, so it’s understandable. We have to go and find them, they could be in grave danger. Callum, stay here.’  
Callum quickly shook his head. “No! Please, Aunt Amaya, I-I’m not sure what happened back at the castle, but I feel so helpless.My little brother is out there in harm’s way, If I sit around any longer worrying about this, I think I’ll go crazy. Please, let me come with you, to help find them.”

His aunt studied him for a long time before finally giving in with a nod. She signed to Gren that he was to stay here and help Claudia protect the lodge, as well as wait for Ez in case he and Soren arrived while they were away. Callum smiled when she gestured to him, signing that he would go with her to help look for them. 

When they got out to the woods, Callum was hopeful that they would run into them, but that hope soon faded as another hour passed… and another. It wasn’t until the near full moon had just slipped over the tree line that his Aunt Amaya called it quits. They marched back to the lodge, dejected and tired from their search. Callum had half a hope that they may have made it to the lodge while they were out, but even that was dashed when they walked inside and saw everyone sitting, looking grim. 

Callum lowered his head, fighting back tears. Even with everyone around him, he felt so alone. He and Ez had hardly ever been separated, and the sudden events from tonight put him in a situation unfamiliar to him. He could feel his heartbeat slowly rise, his breaths increasing as he headed out of the room while the others talked about what they would do next with the crown prince and Soren missing, with still no word from the king. Callum headed down the hall, his hand gently touching the walls as he made his way to the room he and Ez always shared, but when he got to it he paused and slowly sunk to his knees.

“Ez… please be ok. I don’t think I could lose you too…” He pleaded to whoever was out there to listen. 

~~~

As the sun rose, it lit up a room filled with anxiety and anticipation to see if the morning would bring any news. No one slept. The entire night everyone had been anxiously waiting for the knock that never came. Callum himself was faring worst of all. After he had disappeared and was found sobbing in the hall, everyone had begun walking on eggshells around him, afraid to speak of what they were all thinking. Something had happened to Ezran, and maybe Soren, but none of them knew what. A small bit of hope lingered in them though, maybe Ezran was in the castle hiding so well, no one could find him. Maybe he had found his dad and the two had escaped from the danger together.

However, when the knock at the door finally came and everyone rushed to see who it was, many of those hopes were crushed when Viren walked into the lodge… followed by Soren. Ezran was nowhere to be seen. Before anyone could even speak, Callum marched right up to Soren and grabbed the cape wrapped around his neck.

“Where is he!? Where is Ez!? You told me you would bring him here! You promised me! I trusted you, and now you show up here alone, so tell me, where is my baby brother!?” Callum was shaking and crying by the end of his interrogation.

Soren couldn’t hold back the look of sorrow that overtook his expression. Callum’s eyes widened as he backed away, shaking his head, heart plummeting. “I’m...sorry-”

“NO!” Callum yelled, causing everyone in the lodge to jump in surprise. Callum had always been soft spoken, hearing him exclaim something so loud was a shock. “He can’t be… WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?!”

“Moonshadow assassins.” Viren answered for Soren, getting in the middle of the grieving boy and his son. “We tried to evacuate you two here, but Ezran couldn’t be found until it was too late. He just so happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. In his effort to flee from one of the assassins, he made his way to the king’s chambers… not knowing that the assassins had already gotten to the king. I’m sorry to say, but the King and Prince Ezran… were both slain.”

****Callum sunk to his knees, his eyes wide with utter defeat. As the adults around him began to ask questions, their frantic voices demanding to know more, Callum found himself drowning them out, sinking deeper and deeper into his head. He had failed them, failed Ez. He should have protected him, should have done more, but he couldn’t! Callum was useless, he always had been, and he probably always would be. He had lost his mother when he was young, now he had lost his brother and his step-dad all in one night. There was no one left…****

The adults finally seemed to notice as Callum sunk to his knees, the grief squeezing him in its iron grip. His Aunt Amaya quickly went up to him, sinking to the floor beside him and folding him in her arms. He didn’t react, his eyes seemed to stare at nothing as the mood sombered while everyone reflected on what they had just learned. Viren cleared his throat, gesturing to Gren to get Amaya’s attention. Gren signed quickly at her, and she looked up at Viren, annoyed. 

“General Amaya, may I speak with you, privately?” He said, not daring to glance at Callum.

The general seemed to be hesitant about leaving Callum, but reluctantly left him when Claudia said she would take care of him. She did not trust Claudia, but she had to figure out whatever Viren was planning. She got up, making sure Callum was being taken care of before following Viren to the other room, Gren right behind her. When they were finally out of earshot, VIren turned to her, eye’s narrowed. 

“I understand that what happened last night was nothing short of a tragedy. We cannot let Xadia’s cruelty go unanswered. With King Harrow and the crown prince… gone, Callum is the next in line to take the throne, but I wonder…” Viren began to explain.

Amaya looked at him, brow furrowed. “What is it?” Gren interpreted.

“I worry if Callum will be able to handle ruling a kingdom in his… delicate state. I think right now, it would be best for him to take up a regent in order to recover from his grief. It is unwise for someone who has just lost so much to take up ruling, he may crack under the pressure, and it could lead to unwise choices being made.”

‘And you want to take up this position, I assume.’ Amaya guessed, glaring at Viren, suspiciously.

“Who else is better suited? I have worked the closest to Harrow the longest, I know what he would have wanted for his people better than anyone. Of course it is a terrible burden, and ultimately, Callum’s choice, but I will humbly take up the crown while he is recovering.”

She and Gren enhanced a look. ‘I’m sorry to say, Viren, but do not trust that your intentions are pure. For now, let us head back to the castle and decide with the council what to do from here.’ General Amaya turned before Viren could answer, and walked out the door to make plans for the trip back. 

~~~

The trip was somber as they headed back to the castle. They had just received a messenger hawk before they left, declaring everything was safe and there were no more signs of the assassins to be seen. But, that didn’t take away from the fact that they had just lost their king and their heir… and the rest of Callum’s family. General Amaya stook close to her nephew wanting to support him as much as she could, but she knew that she offered no solace. While she was family by blood, her absence as she guarded the breach had made it difficult for her to grow close to her nephews. She began to wonder now if it was worth it. 

Finally, they made it to the castle gates and were welcomed by Opeli as well as the rest of the council. She bowed, though her face was wrought with sadness over the situation. “Welcome back, Prince Callum, as well as the rest of you, I’m glad to see you safe.”

The others nodded, but watched as Callum walked right past Opeli without so much as a second glance. His eyes were void of any emotion as he stopped a few feet away from them to look up at the castle, before continuing on. Opeli sighed, turning back to the group as they began to dismount and hand their horses to the stable boys. 

“It is as I feared, Prince Callum is not taking this well.” She sighed, though she didn’t sound surprised. 

General Amaya nodded and signed.’He has not said a word since he found out the news. I worry for him, he has never been strong when it comes to loss. We must keep an eye on him… I fear the things that may be going through his head right now.’

Gren translated for the group and a cold feeling washed over everyone at the implications. Soren sighed, but before he could speak up and offer himself to watch over Callum, Claudia, surprisingly, volunteered. “I’ll help make sure he’s ok! Maybe I can find a way to distract him, help take his mind off the situation!”

Everyone looked at each other and shrugged. Out of all of them, Caludia would be the one Callum trusted most right now. With a nod in agreement, Claudia went on her way to follow Callum into the castle, leaving everyone else to decide what to do now. Viren seemed reluctant to speak on the matter, but decided that it was of utmost important to discuss. 

“As much as I would like to let this matter rest, we must decide on what to do about the ruling situation. As much as it hurts to say, Prince Callum is not in any state to rule a kingdom; he is too unstable. I think it is of the kingdom’s best interest for us to assign a regent while he works through his grief.” 

The others looked at each other, Opeli contemplating what he said while General Amaya glared at him, warning him not to overstep. Finally, Opeli nodded. “I think that would be wise, we shall discuss this as a group in a council meeting to decide who will rule while Prince Callum grieves.”

With that, Opeli, Viren, and the rest of the council departed to get ready for the meeting. Soren excused himself to go and rest after the long night, leaving General Amaya and Gren. General Amaya glanced at Gren and signed ‘I worry what Viren is planning. I’m sure he will try to use this to his advantage, we must keep an eye on him.’ Gren nodded and together, they made their way to the throne room.

~~~

Rayla and her assassin troup were running. They had been on the run since last night, only stopping to eat and drink. They had to get as far away from the castle as possible before they could discuss what had happened. Nothing went according to plan, and the most worrisome thing was that they hadn’t even assassinated the king and prince. Before her group could infiltrate the room where the king was being held, their bands had both simultaneously fallen off, leaving them to wonder if someone had gotten to them before they could. Or perhaps it was a trick? Only time would tell, but now they had to distance themselves as much as they could to prevent anyone from discovering them.

The only thing good that came from this night was Rayla’s discovery of the egg of the Dragon Prince. When her troupe had returned last night, they had been surprised to see her at the camp, and even more surprised to see what she had in her possession. She had recounted to them what had happened, how she found the human prince and chased him through the halls, only to wind up in the High Mage’s secret lair, full of rare ingredients for his Dark Magic spells. She had just been about to slay the prince when he surprised her by tossing a blanket off of a pedestal, only to reveal the egg. She explained that she gave up on the prince in order to get the egg to safety. Thankfully, she seemed to have made the right decision as Runaan nodded. 

Runaan had explained to them then that their top priority was to get the Dragon Prince back to his mother in Xadia. With them having taken back the egg, the High Mage would no doubt stop at nothing to try and get it back, they had to be vigilant and be prepared. As Runaan explained, with the dragon egg missing and the King and Prince dead, thought to be slain by Xadia, the chances of an all out war were imminent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time, Callum struggles with the information that his only living family is now gone. Claudia tries to cheer him up with varying degrees of success.


	3. Distractions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayla returns to Xadia; Callum needs something to distract him from his thoughts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHAPTER WARNING: SELF DEPRECATING THOUGHTS AND ATTEMPT AT SELF HARM
> 
> To avoid any triggers, I have added ******** to help single out that scene. For those uncomfortable with this topic, or for those who are scared of a trigger, I will summarize the chapter in the end notes for you. Self care, everyone <3 That being said, this is the most graphic a self harm scene will be in the story, but chapter warnings will commence throughout

Rayla was tired. She and her group had been wandering through the human lands for what felt like eternity, making sure to take the road less travelled by in order to avoid any mishaps from astray humans. Rayla had always been a fan of the outdoors, but this was just exhausting, especially with the added weight of the Dragon Prince’s egg, which seemed to grow heavier and heavier by the day. 

Ever so often, her team would have to stop and wait while a group of humans passed, and every once in a while, they would overhear news from the castle. Apparently, the kingdom was reeling after the death of their king and their heir, which was understandable. What was surprising was the overwhelming doubt in the next in line, Prince Callum. Apparently the step son of King Harrow was NOT popular among the masses, and many doubted his ability to rule. 

‘He isn’t even of royal blood, how can an adopted stray possibly lead our kingdom to greatness? Face it, Katolis is going to fall into ruin under his rule.’

As cruel as it sounded, it seemed to be the consensus of everyone they overheard. If humans weren’t meant to be her mortal enemy, Rayla would almost feel bad for the prince. She didn’t know much about him besides the basic information that she was provided before the mission started. From what she could remember, he had joined the royal family at around 5 years of age after his mom married King Harrow just before his father, the late king, had died from a mysterious illness. Unfortunately, their peace didn’t last long, as Queen Sarai had died on an excursion into Xadia to collect materials for dark magic. As sad as it was, it was only fair that the humans had lost so much after taking so much, it was the law of order. 

Now though, the human prince had been left alone. After the death of the King and his heir, Prince Callum had been left with no one. Rayla shook the thoughts from her head. While her group had not been necessarily responsible, it was what their mission would have led to eventually, it was not up to her to feel sympathetic for the victim’s family. Her mission only concerned her targets, that was it… still, she couldn’t help the twinge of sadness at how lonely the human prince must be feeling at the moment. 

Her thoughts were caught off at Callisto’s exclamation that he could finally see the soft glow of the border’s lava flow. It seemed the sight of the border filled her group with more energy as they each began to move faster through the trees, hoping to get back to Xadia as soon as possible. When they arrived at the moonstone path, the glow of the runes lit the way under the soft light of the crescent moon. Her team crossed, cautiously, but with swiftness, eager to get back to Xadia so they didn’t have to sneak around anymore. Each of them released a sigh of relief when they were finally on the other side. 

Runaan gestured to them to follow, and soon, they were finally in Xadia. As they walked, they neared the place where the great king of old, Sol Regem, watched over the border. They neared him, his great size almost intimidated Rayla (almost) but she kept her fear at bay as Runaan walked up to the great dragon and bowed. The rest of them followed suit. 

Sol Regem swung his giant head over to them, taking in a deep breath, before speaking. “What are you doing at the border to the wretched human lands?”

“Great Sol Regem.” Runaan started, still bowing low. “My group has been on a mission under the order of the Dragon Queen, Zubeia, to enact revenge on the humans for killing the Dragon King Avizandum and destroying his egg, the Dragon Prince. I am pleased to inform you that our mission was a success.”

Sol Regem lifted his head with a low laugh. “Serve those wretched humans right for attacking Xadia without cause. They had better take this lesson to heart and not try it again.”

“Great one…” Andromeda spoke up, bringing Sol Regem’s attention to rest on her. “With all due respect, do you think it is wise to discount the new crown prince of Katolis?”

Sol Regem chuckled darkly. “Do you mean the little welp of a boy, not even of royal blood? No, we do not have to fear him. If anything, knowing the humans, they will take him out before long… Now, go and let me return to my rest.”

They all bid the old dragon farewell, and gave thanks for allowing them to pass. Sol Regem didn’t answer, the angry old dragon didn’t even give them a second sniff, before resting his head on his giant claws. Rayla’s group continued forward, marching further into Xadia, eager to leave the cranky dragon behind. As they got out of Sol Regem’s ear shot, Rayla caught up with Runaan. 

“Runaan, why didn’t you tell him about the egg?”

“I want to keep the egg as safe as I can until we reach the Storm Spire, and that means telling as few people as possible that it has been rescued. For now, the information staying in this troupe, and this troupe only, will suffice.” He answered swiftly, without a second though.

Rayla nodded, it made sense. She proceeded to ask her other question. “Do you really think what Sol Regem said about the crown prince is true?”

Runaan was silent, contemplating her question, before answering. “Whatever may happen, we must get the Dragon Prince’s egg back to Queen Zubeia as fast as we can. I fear that while the human prince may not seem a threat, even small animals are known to strike out when backed into a corner…”

~~~  
Callum had holed himself up in his room since they had gotten back. Every once in a while, a knock would sound, and he could hear Claudia asking if he was ok. He never responded, best not to lie to his friends considering everyone was definitely NOT ok. He couldn’t describe how he was feeling. Ever since that first night when he had cried out of the sheer impact of what had just happened, he had yet to shed a tear. It was said that after a king dies, Katolis would mourn for seven sunsets, and yet, Callum couldn’t find it in himself to mourn.  
Everytime he just thought back to his last interaction with his step-dad and Ez. Had he said the right things? Did they ever question his love for them? Did he do enough to make his love clear? He never even called Harrow his dad… and now he and Ez were gone. Forever. 

Callum sighed, glancing out the window. The sky had been grey since that night. While Callum couldn’t find it in himself to mourn his dad and Ez, it seemed the sky was doing it for him. The slight patter of rain against the glass drew his attention back on the task at hand. He had begun to draw, not sure of what his hand would come up with. Whenever Callum wanted to think, he would sit at his desk and mindlessly doodle. It was good to have something to distract him, especially after what had happened. However, when he saw what he had begun to draw, Callum dropped the pencil, and quickly grabbed the page tightly. He aggressively tore it out of his sketchbook and ripped it into tiny pieces. He screamed, tossing the paper and pencils off of his desk and flung his desk over to the side, hoping to get rid of any reminder of what he had just done.

Callum felt his heart pounding. He backed away, shaking his head, trying to get the image out of his mind. He couldn’t though. The soft, ghostly figures of his dead family surrounding him, much like the yearly pictures he would do on his birthday. Once upon a time it had been a childish drawing of him, his mom, baby Ez, and King Harrow. After his mom died, it was just him, Ez, and Harrow… Now, it was just him. He was truly alone.

************

Callum bit his lip, slamming his head against the wall, willing himself to cry. He begged for it at this point, so much, he would do anything to get the feelings out. He racked his brain, trying to find a way to cry, when it hit him. If he couldn’t cry from grief, maybe he could cry from pain. Anything to stop the numbness. 

Callum gripped his hair, pulling on the strands, hoping for some inkling of feeling... The sharp pain gave him pause. It hurt, but was nowhere near the level of pain he felt on the inside... if only there was some way to bring it to the surface. He let go of his hair, desperately searching around his room for anything. Among the cluttered papers and the wreckage of his desk, his eyes landed on a ceremonial knife lying on his dresser. He blinked, slowly getting up for a closer look. It was dull, an intricate pattern etched into the blade. It was gifted to him by his dad a year ago for his 14th birthday. The knife was not meant to be used as a weapon, but it would have to do. He gulped, gripping the hilt and holding it above his outstretched hand. He could feel himself shaking, sweat dripping on his brow, making his grip on the blade slip. His heart pounded as he raised the blade and without another thought brought it down…

Just as the knife was about to hit his hand, a sharp knock sounded on the door. Callum jumped, tossing the knife in the process. He stood still, staring at the knife blankly when another knock brought his attention back to the present. He slowly backed away, glancing once more at the knife before quickly making his way to open the door.  
***************

Claudia stood on the other side, hand raised, surprised to see him. “Callum! Oh, thank goodness, I’m so glad you answered! Are you ok? I kept checking on you and never heard a response!”

Callum was still breathing heavily, his heart pounding after what he almost did. He took a deep breath, hoping it would slow his heart, allowing him to speak normally. He settled for a nod in the time being. 

“I’m glad you’re ok… I know it hasn’t been easy for you. I kept trying to get you out of the room, cause I think it might help if you had a bit of a distraction!” Claudia smiled, trying not to let her worry shine through… and failing. 

Callum took a deep breath, testing his words. “I appreciate that… I’m ok… I just…” He really didn’t want to leave his room, but with one last glance at what he had almost done, he decided it was probably for the best if he did. “You know what, I am a bit hungry.”

Claudia smiled and gestured for him to come out. Callum took a deep breath and followed her, closing his door, tight. The walk through the castle was uneventful. Claudia attempted to get Callum to participate in some small talk, but after a few minutes of awkward silence between each question, she gave up. Callum did appreciate her attempt to make things seem normal, but they weren’t normal, and they never would be. Callum closed his eyes, willing those thoughts away as they finally made it to the kitchens.

Upon seeing Callum, the cooks were eager to cook him up a meal that was gentle on his gut, saying that him not eating for so long may cause his stomach to be upset if he overdid it. Callum didn’t really care, he would eat what they gave him. He sat with Claudia on a small table that was set up in the kitchen, staring at the water he held gently in his hands. He sunk deep into his mind, not really thinking about anything… just sort of drifting. He was pulled out of it when Claudia waved her hand in front of him. He looked up to see her staring, a worried look on her face. Guilt immediately consumed him, he wasn’t worth worrying about, he had to do something.

“S-sorry, Claudia, I’m just tired…” He mumbled a poorly crafted excuse.

Claudia gave him a suspicious glare but, thankfully, didn’t press. “Ok… if you say so… I’m excited to show you what I’ve been learning! I’m sure you’ll love it!”

Callum nodded, thankful when his food was placed in front of him so he could ignore the small talk. He ate the salad quickly, not realising until then just how hungry he was. Claudia droned on about this new magic she was learning, but Callum barely paid attention. So much for being a good friend…  
When he finished, Claudia pulled him to the library, her excitement causing him to crack a small smile. He was glad she seemed to have bounced back from… the events of a week ago. As they reached the door, Callum forced himself to fixate on what she was gushing about.

“-so many amazing things you can do with the wings of a purple warble! They’re very rare, can only be found on the border of Xadia, but what they can do, it’s totally worth it! They say the wings can allow you to jump great heights and span great distances, isn’t that amazing!” She led him to the section of the library where the books on Dark Magic were kept.

Callum awkwardly shifted, always hating this part of the library. It was the only part of the castle that he felt uncomfortable in, always bringing up memories he would rather keep locked away. Dark Magic, while inadvertent, was the cause of his mother’s death, and ever since, he couldn’t stand it. Not to mention his mother was always blatantly against the use of dark magic, so he had grown up with a distaste for the topic, but after his mother, it morphed into downright hatred. 

“Callum? Are you listening?” Claudia interrupted him from his inner monologue. Callum shook his head and gave Claudia an apologetic smile. 

“Sorry, Claudia, spaced out there a bit, what were you saying?” He urged her to repeat. 

She sighed. “I was saying that maaaybe, given the recent circumstances, you may need a distraction. I was wondering if you wanted to, I don’t know, study some Dark Magic with me?”

Callum shrunk back. “Claudia, I don’t know, Dark Magic is just… I mean you know how I’ve always felt about it...”

Claudia crossed her arms, daring him to continue.

“I just don't feel comfortable with it is all.” He did his best to explain without making her feel judged. It did not work.

Claudia glared at him. “ Okaaay, Prince Judgey Face. I get you don’t feel comfortable with it, but no need to judge.”

“I’m not trying to! I just… that type of magic… killing things… just feels wrong.” He shrugged, not sure what else to say.

Claudia sighed and turned to the shelves. She walked along the books, glancing to and fro until her eyes landed on one book in particular. She grabbed it from the shelf and walked back over to Callum. 

“Listen, Callum. I know it sounds wrong, but we humans found a way to adapt when we were treated like less than dirt, all because of something we couldn’t control.” She flipped to a page in the book and turned it to him. It showed a piece of art that must have been ancient, depicting a small village in ruins as elves and dragons drove humans from their homes. Art had always resonated with him, and the pain and anguish just shown in the faces of the people made his heart clench. “Humans did all they could to survive and still came up short for the most part… the elves and dragons didn’t care if we lived or died, if we became extinct. Yet, they cared about all of these other living creatures just because they were born with magic. Don’t you see, Callum? If we hadn’t discovered Dark Magic, we would have died out, so say what you will, but while the elves and dragons see us using Dark Magic as greedy, I see it as a tool necessary for the survival of humanity.”

Callum looked away. What Claudia said made sense. Many times, Lord Viren’s schemes with Dark Magic had saved Katolis and the other human kingdoms from ruin. Even still, the thought of his mother’s negative view on the subject made Callum hesitant.

“I’m sorry, Clauds. I think what you’re saying makes sense, we would be doomed without Dark Magic to assist us… but I still need time to think about what you offered. I would love to learn magic with you, I just… don't know if I want to learn Dark Magic.” He didn’t say anything else, just gave her a sad smile and walked away, back towards his room, leaving her standing there among the shelves, the book she had shown him cradled to her chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Rayla reaches Xadia and talks with Runaan about Callum, and whether or not he should be considered a threat. Runaan warns that even small animals can become dangerous if they feel threatened. 
> 
> Claudia drags Callum to help distract him from his thoughts and suggests he learn Dark Magic with her. He is hesitant due to his rocky past with the topic and tells her he would think about it. 
> 
> Thank you for reading everyone! If you read it, I hope you enjoyed, and if not, I thank you for being here anyway. I promise next chapter won't be so dark and heavy, though I do want it to be known that this is a heavy story in general and there will be dark themes throughout. I won't be upset if you decide to bail. Love you all, take care of yourselves, physically and mentally during these trying times, and remember... wear a mask.


	4. Memorial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harrow and Ez are finally laid to rest and Callum seeks guidance from the only place he trusts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are no warnings for this chapter except for a small hint at self loathing done in the first few paragraphs. It's a bit of a shorter chapter, but it is very important as a stepping stone for things to come. Enjoy!
> 
> *** around the potential triggers

It had been a week now, since Callum’s brother and step-dad had been murdered. It was tradition for the kingdom of Katolis to mourn for seven days after the death of a king or queen, and yet, Callum could still not find it in himself to mourn his family. Perhaps he was scared of the finality of accepting they were gone. ***Perhaps he was a coward that didn’t want to face the feelings that came along with that acceptance. Whichever it was, Callum felt even worse about himself. ***

He marched at the front of the funeral procession, head down, willing people not to look at him. Of course they did anyway, staring at him with concerned expressions, some even being so bold as to stare at him with outright contempt, as though he were the one responsible for the death of their king and heir. Maybe he was… ever since that fateful night, Callum couldn’t help but feel he had failed to do something to stop it. He knew he was being unreasonable, he didn’t even know what was going on until the morning after, how could he have stopped it? But the thoughts of him keeping Ez closer, making sure he was around when the order was given for them to retreat to the Banther Lodge, at least then he would still be alive… No, that type of thinking was useless. Right now, it was best to look to the present and prepare for the future, at least, that’s what Callum supposed Harrow would say. 

The procession continued their march through the city. At least Callum didn’t have to worry about coffins. The bodies were never found, ripped to shreds by the assassins, Callum had been told. It made him angry, the idea that not only had the elves come and taken the lives of two innocent people, but didn’t even treat their bodies with respect. A burning rage filled his gut at the thought. It had been a common occurrence ever since his talk with Claudia, the grief he wished he felt had been overtaken by rage. Rage at the situation he was in, at the assassins who had put him in this situation, and at himself, for being completely helpless to stop it. He could still feel the glares of some people he passed. It had become apparent to him how people felt of his upcoming coronation, many were scared. They didn’t like this new change, not that Callum could blame them, he wasn’t too keen on it either. 

Opeli had warned him of this. She told him how many people were unsure what to think of him, and that uncertainty brought about unseeded hatred. At him and at the situation. Likewise, Callum had thought. It was becoming increasingly clear to him that now may not be the time for him to take the throne. He had overheard countless whispers on him choosing a regent to take his father’s place to run Katolis until the situation had calmed down, and more and more was Clalum beginning to consider it. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to take the throne, to help build the kingdom in the image his mother, Sarai, and King Harrow had imagined, but he didn’t know if he was ready. It was all so sudden.

These thoughts continued to rage in his head as they finally passed into the Valley of Graves, where all the great heroes and monarchs of Katolis were memorialized and put to rest. His own mother was given a statue in her honor about a mile away from the gates. Callum suddenly had an urge to visit her, ask her what he should do now, what were the appropriate actions to take. Maybe he could ask his Aunt Amaya or Opeli once this whole affair was over. 

The High Cleric and General were off to the side, talking with one another, glancing ever so often at Callum, worry clear in their expressions. He was beginning to hate everyone treating him as though he were made of glass. While his heart had been bruised, it was not broken, he would live through this. At least, he hoped he would. Viren walked to his right, a few paces in front of him. His head was held high, his expression unreadable. Callum wished he could see any sort of remorse on his face, but in true Viren fashion, he seemed to have no thoughts on the situation. 

Viren glanced over at him, their eyes catching. Callum blinked and quickly looked away as Viren gave him a tactful smile. He gently patted him on the shoulder. “You are holding yourself well, Prince Callum. I know these are difficult times for you, but you have done well to hold yourself up in front of the people. They need you to be at your strongest, now especially.”

“I-I’m trying.” He murmured, suddenly feeling worse than he had in a long time. He shouldn’t have to hide how he was feeling! His brother and step-dad had been killed, he should be a sobbing mess, unable to hold in his tears. But he couldn’t cry, he felt nothing. That wasn’t strength, it was weakness, was he so horrid he couldn’t even cry for his brother and father?

His thoughts were interrupted as they got to the altar where they would burn the symbols for Ezran and his step dad. The altar was set in the middle of the great valley, overlooking a lake. All around the shores were giant memorials that had been built for the countless kings and heros of the past. Out there somewhere was the memorial crafted for his mother.

The high priestesses brought the symbols up to the altar and laid them down, side by side, each holding a torch, awaiting Opeli’s instruction to light the pyre. The two items had each been wrapped in a crimson banner with the uneven towers of Katolis embroidered in gold. For Ez, it was a small satchel he always used to carry around with him, proclaiming that it brought good luck and was decorated with pins of all his favorite things. For King Harrow, it was his sword, an iron broadsword with a golden hilt. It had been a wedding gift from his mother; he had carried it everywhere with him, it was his greatest treasure.

After the priestesses had stepped aside, Viren walked up the pedestal and turned to address the crowd. Before they had begun the processions, Opeli had approached him, asking if he wanted to say anything at the funeral. He didn’t know if he could get it out without stumbling over his words, but he had to at least try. Viren was right, he needed to show he was strong in these unknown times. People already didn’t trust him to rule over the kingdom, they didn’t need more ammo to prove he was unfit to rule. Through his clouded thoughts on the way here, Callum had been debating what to say in the speech. Even now he was unsure, but he had to figure out what needed to be said to calm the hearts of the people of Katolis.

As Viren went over his speech, saying how great of a loss this was for the royal family and to the kingdom, Callum ran through, once again, what he would say in his head. He wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to portray to the people of Katolis, but he did know he needed to do whatever he could to sustain the hope they had in their hearts that they could get through this. Once Viren ended his speech, he turned to him and looked on calmly, waiting for Callum to take his place. Callum took a deep breath and walked to the front, reaching into himself to pluck out any remnants of the ruler his step dad used to be. 

“H-hello…” Come on Callum, you need to do better than that. Closing his eyes, he willed himself to find the strength to continue and started again. “Hello, people of Katolis. First, let me thank Viren for his kind words. He is right, the past week will weigh heavily on the kingdom for a long time to come. Now… I know that many of you are looking up at me and see some kid they deem unworthy to rule… and as much as I hate to admit it, you’re right.” He listened to the gasps and murmurs spreading around him before continuing, raising his voice so it could be heard over the ruckus. 

“I know that what the kingdom needs right now is a ruler who can stand firm in their dedication to protect the image and laws that we have upheld for generations, to help the people through the darkest time Katolis has seen in centuries… and I must admit to myself, as well as the loyal people of Katolis, that I can’t be that king, not right now. Katolis deserves more, and, in the state that I’m in, I can’t uphold these oaths. So, I have decided that I will be appointing a regent for the time being. I need time to grieve, really grieve and think about how I want to not only protect this kingdom, but protect the vision that King Harrow…, my step-dad, always had for me. I will talk it over with the royal council and we will come to a decision on who will be the best fit to rule until I deem myself ready to take over. I appreciate everyone’s understanding.” He bowed his head to the people and looked over to his Aunt Amaya and Opeli, who stood to his side, their worried expressions replaced with proud ones.

Callum felt a small smile tug at his lips, thankful that he had seemingly said the right thing. He wasn’t ready to rule, and for now, he was OK with that. “Opeli, if you would.”

She seemed to understand, and along with her group of high priestesses, lit the fire. Callum watched as the flames spread around the altar, quickly engulfing the two blankets that held the items inside. The flames were enchanted so that nothing could escape their blaze, the smoke said to help guide the spirits to the afterlife. As Callum watched it spiral into the steely grey clouds, he hoped that his step dad and brother’s spirits would find their way to the other side. He smiled softly at the thought of his family looking down on him; he just hoped they were proud of his decision. A thought occurred to him then, and he turned to his Aunt Amaya who was now signing to Gren. He walked over, looking a bit sheepish. Gren’s reaction to him caught Amaya’s attention and she turned, smiling when she saw it was him. 

‘Callum, how are you doing after that? I know it wasn’t easy for you.’ She signed, smiling at him.

Callum smiled back. For once all week, it didn’t feel forced. ‘I’m ok, I just hope I did the right thing.’

‘What you did was not easy, but I think you were right in saying you aren’t ready to rule a kingdom, and no one blames you Callum. You have gone your whole life thinking that Ez would be the successor, now is a time for you to reflect and truly mourn the loss of your family.’

Callum nodded. ‘About that, I was wondering if I could do something while we’re here.’

Aunt Amaya studied him, confused.

~~~

Callum raised his head as he walked up to his mother’s memorial. Queen Sarai had been a warrior ruler that had gone down in history for not only saving Katolis, but Duren, from a terrible famine that threatened to kill a hundred thousand people. While Callum missed her everyday, he was proud to be her son and proud of what she had done. Her memorial showed her in her last moments, fearlessly saving Viren from the late King of the Dragons, Avizandum. He gazed at her for a short while longer before steeling himself, and continuing. Aunt Amaya was standing a respectful distance away, giving Callum time to consult with his mother privately, which he appreciated. When he got to the base of the memorial, he lit one of the candles with one that was already burning. He bent his head, paying his respects before turning his eyes to stare at her kind face, permanently replicated in the statue.

“Hi mom… we haven’t talked in awhile. I’m sorry, it’s just… visiting you has always been hard, but now, it seems like the only place to go for advice. Silly right? Asking a statue for advice… or maybe guidance would be a better term. I just… for the past week I’ve felt so alone. It doesn’t matter how hard everyone tries to help me feel included, nothing works. I appreciate their effort, but it’s not enough. I’ve lost everyone, mom, and I want them back so bad… but I know I can’t have that. Is there some way I can stop this ache? I feel so empty, I just need someone, anyone, who can understand me… take this ache away. I don’t know if you have that type of power, but if you do… please send me someone…”

Finally, after all this time, the dam broke. Tears flowed down Callum’s cheeks as he rested his head on the stone pedestal. His body shook as the sobs raked him, the sound echoing on the surrounding canyons. Amaya looked on, heartbroken at the display. This was a boy, barely even a teenager, who had lost everyone he felt he could trust in the world. He truly felt he was alone, but at that moment, Amaya swore to herself, she would do everything she could to be there for her nephew.


	5. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katolis chooses a new regent and Callum must work through his mess of feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings for this chapter, besides Callum's self loathing. I won't mark it cause it occurs constantly through the chapter, so I'll add a chapter summary at the end if you don't feel comfortable reading, enjoy!

It had been days and countless hours of discussion, if you even wanted to call it that, as they talked over who should be the regent of Katolis until Callum was ready. Felt more like arguments to Callum, but Viren insisted it was discussion. It was tiring, being around the adults as they "discussed" who should be regent in Callum's place. Viren,of course, argued for himself, given he was the closest to Harrow and knew best how to carry on his legacy. Opeli had argued for General Amaya at first until she relented; it would be best for the General to stick close to the breach, given the unstable situation with the Sunfire elves. She had then switched to declaring herself a worthy candidate, which his Aunt Amaya seemed to back up.

This was where they were now, Viren and Opeli going back and forth, saying their peace and being written off by the other. The other council members didn't even know what to do, and stood awkwardly as the bickering continued.

'Callum and the kingdom need a stable and calm head. We can't be focusing on getting revenge, as Viren insists, while we're still shaken by the events, it would be disastrous. I, for one, think Opeli would be best suited for this, she's the most level headed and grounded one of us all.' Gren translated, his aunt's hands flying effortlessly through the signs. Callum once again felt a pang of annoyance at his aunt's words. While he appreciated her worry, it irked him that she thought him so weak that he needed to be babied.

"I agree with you, General Amaya, that we must be precise and careful about how we proceed, but going after the elves is the only way to show them that we have not been beat!" Viren growled. 

"Maybe them thinking we're finished is for the best." Opeli argued. "Right now, we can't afford an all out war with the elves, Katolis is not in the right state for that."

Callum furrowed his brow. Maybe Opeli was right… 

Viren interrupted his stream of thoughts. "While I understand your sentiment, Opeli and General Amaya, we must take revenge after what they did to us. We cannot allow murder to go without justice. They may have had a reason to strike against King Harrow, but they killed an innocent child in cold blood, there must be justice. And as regent, I will make sure that Katolis does not suffer when justice is taken."

"You're out of line, Lord Viren." Opeli snarled. "What you want is an all out war."

"Perhaps we should ask Callum what he wants, he's the most affected by this. So, Callum?" Viren suggested.

Callum blinked as all the eyes were suddenly turned onto him. He glanced around, once again feeling a pang of annoyance at the gentle gaze his aunt had on him, like she was scared this question would break him. He thought about what everyone was saying, thought that what Opeli suggested would be the best course of action. Until he began thinking of Ez, he had only been a child, those elves murdered an innocent kid, and the dragons ordered them to do it. 

Ever since Ezran had been killed, Callum had been thinking carefully about his life up until now. He had always said he would protect his brother from whatever happened, but when push came to shove, Callum failed. He was unable to protect Ez like he had promised, and he would never forgive himself. Now, here Viren was, proposing a plan to provide a future where his kingdom would be safe with no elves or dragons to worry about. It sounded amazing, right, causing Callum to be filled with conviction. He would get justice over the elves and dragons who murdered his brother. "I hate them… the elves and dragons killed everyone I love without mercy…Ez, Harrow,... my mom, so why should we let them be when we've suffered so much…I won’t stand around while they continue to threaten my kingdom or my family."

'Callum, you can't seriously be suggesting… listen you're not in your right mind, you're hurting, maybe you should take some time to think this through.' His aunt signed frantically, her words making something in him snap.

"No! You've been walking around me like I'm made of glass this whole week, but I'm not weak. Viren said it, I've suffered the most from this, but you have as well. The difference between us is you're too afraid to take revenge for what those elves did to us… to me. I hate them, I want them all to suffer like I have…" Callum squeezed his eyes and clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. white. “I’ve decided… I want Viren as my regent. I trust that he will make sure revenge is served in the safest way possible to make sure the kingdom doesn’t suffer.”

Everyone stood shocked, except Viren who stood with a satisfied smirk on his face. “Prince Callum, please reconsider!” Opeli pleaded, but Callum shook his head.

“I’ve made up my mind, this is what I want… and Aunt Amaya.” He glanced towards his aunt who was still staring at him with that damn gentle stare. He signed to her quickly. ‘I’m not a child anymore. I may have had a lot of shit happen to me the past week, but I am anything but weak, so stop treating me like any adversity will break me… I can take care of myself, so why don’t you prepare to return to the breach, where you’re needed most.’

He failed to notice the tears that sprang up in her eyes as he walked out of the throne room.

~~~

Viren's coronation was set to be held a few days after Callum declared him as the regent. He didn't regret his decision, while it may have been made in the heat of his anger and frustration, he was certain Viren would be able to lead the kingdom to greatness and to a better future. Viren was smart and cunning, able to rally people around him, unlike Callum, he would be able to get the justice that they were owed. 

Callum did feel worse after his decision, but for the past few hours he couldn't put a finger onto why. He had made his decision, a decision he felt confident in, more confident than he has felt in a long while, so why did he feel so down? His mind kept traipsing back to that night that had changed his life for the worse. His thoughts once again spiraled as he thought about Ezran… how he couldn't protect him, how he couldn't protect his father. The notion of "there was nothing he could have done" was beginning to feel more and more like a cop out. 

There had to have been something he could have done. He would do anything to protect them… anything to bring them back. Tears threatened to fall once again. Ever since he had broken the seal of his grief at his mother's memorial statue, it felt like all he did now was cry. He had visited the castle cleric, asking what was wrong with him.

"You're grieving, trying to work through how you're feeling about the situation. People grieve in different ways, it may take months or years for you to work through it. You have to be patient, but if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here to listen." She had said.

It all sounded like an excuse, he should have been able to bounce back so that he could be strong enough for his people, but just as he was with Ez and King Harrow, he was weak, too weak to move forward for the sake of himself or Katolis. He knew he couldn’t continue like this, he had to find some way to forget about his grief and become stronger. As he thought, he looked outside and realized the sun was beginning to reach its noon peak. Blinking, he scrambled up and began to race towards the courtyard where Soren would be waiting for him to do his sword lessons. It had been Callum’s idea to continue as they had been, to return a sense of normalcy back to the castle. While everything seemed to be done with an air of sadness surrounding it, at least people were strong enough to keep going.

Unlike me…

When he reached the courtyard, Soren was standing where he normally did, his sword hefted onto his shoulder, a rather annoyed look on his face. “Oye, step prince, I do have stuff to do other than train you, ya know. I know you’re grieving still, but can you at least try to be on time?”

Callum stalked over to him, a scowl making its way onto his face. He wasn't in the mood for this, but if he needed to become stronger, he had to push himself. He ripped the sword from Soren’s grasp and stared down at it. “I may be grieving, but that doesn’t mean you take it easy on me, got it? Give me everything you’ve got.”

Soren raised an eyebrow before letting out a short laugh. “Everything I’ve got? Listen, Callum, you can barely guard against beginner techniques, how do you expect to guard against expert moves?”

For once Soren didn’t sound cocky, but instead sounded confused by Callum’s sudden interest in going all out during sword training. Callum didn’t answer, instead he walked away to his side of the courtyard before turning and readying his sword. He gave Soren a nod as the crownguard continued to look at him, conflicted by Callum’s sentiment. 

“Come on, Soren, now is not the time to begin worrying about me. Now, more than ever, we have to train our hardest. Are you ready or not?” Callum growled, getting more annoyed at Soren’s reluctance… he wouldn’t admit he was weak. He refused to believe his own strength was the reason that Ezran and his dad were… no he was strong, and he would prove it here and now.

Soren took his starting stance and gave Callum one final nod before they started. Callum gasped at how fast Soren came running up to him. He managed to parry before he was knocked over. Quickly, he dodged Soren’s strike. Then another. Another. Soren’s sword came down close to his face, and suddenly Callum was relieved they were using practice swords. He turned and brought up his sword to protect against Soren’s strike, gritting his teeth at the impact. He pushed against Soren's weight as hard as he could and stumbled to his feet. 

Soren stood off to the side, slowly stalking around him, his eyes still filled with worry. “Callum, you can’t push yourself like this, you aren’t-”

“NO!” Callum snapped, cutting him off. “I’m ok. Again!”

Soren sneered, but once again rushed at him. Callum stood his ground, trying to remember Soren’s instructions on how to stand to give him the best advantage over larger opponents. But he wasn’t used to fighting. He hadn't practiced these stances like others might of, never thinking there was a point, and now he was going to pay the price. While he struggled to put his feet in the correct positions, Soren was already on him, bringing his sword down with a sickening smack against Callum’s arm. Callum bit back a scream as pain raced down his arm, causing him to involuntarily drop his sword. They watched as the sword clattered to the ground. 

“Callum, we have to-” But Callum didn’t listen, he picked up his sword, ignoring the agony of the motion and walked away, turning towards Soren.

“I’m fine, again!” Soren looked like he really wanted to argue, but thought better of it. Callum was obviously not in the right mind to hear any common sense. With a deep breath, Soren readied himself and launched, making sure to hold back some. That was a mistake.

Immediately, Callum could tell Soren was holding back. He growled as Soren came at him. Callum swung his sword so that it could easily be parried, anger sparking in his eyes as Soren intentionally dodged out of the way, missing the opening entirely. 

“What are you doing! I said come at me with your full strength, I don’t need you to hold back. I’m not weak!” Tears sprung in his eyes unwillingly. He quickly wiped them away and stepped back. “Again, all your strength, now.”

“No.” Soren stated, dropping his sword to show he was done with this madness. Callum stared at the sword like Soren had just dropped a corpse at his feet, his face ashen and grey. 

“Soren, I didn’t say to stop, we have to keep going.” Callum murmured.

“No, Callum, listen, I know you’re torn up about this, so am I! I did everything I could to protect Ez and King Harrow… I know how you feel. Like there was more you could have done, how it was all on you to protect them and you failed… but Callum, we can’t think like that. Both of us did what we could…”

“If I was stronger I could have come with you… If I was a better brother or son I would have stayed and fought, would have demanded I go with you to help find Ez. I know where he likes to hide when he’s scared, I could have helped you find him… but I’m a coward and I left, even when I knew something wasn’t right…” Callum stared at the sword that hung limp in his hands. “I need to get stronger… but I don’t know how…”

Soren sighed and gently placed a hand on Callum’s shoulder, causing the sad prince to look up at him. “Callum, I understand your want to get stronger, but you have to get better mentally first. You’re not in a good place right now, you need to work through those feelings first.”

Callum sighed, gently pulling his shoulder from Soren’s grasp. “You don’t understand, Soren. I won’t be in a better place unless I get stronger.”

Soren sighed. “Well, whatever you need to get stronger, it certainly isn’t putting yourself in harm's way by going up against an expert sword fighter. There has to be something… safer for you to do.

Callum hummed, running through his options. He blinked as he stumbled upon something. He hadn’t been sure if he could go through with this, but as the days passed, he couldn’t think of anything else. It was the one thing he had yet to try, and at this point he would do anything to become stronger. “Thanks, Soren. I think I have an idea…”

He gave Soren back the practice sword before he walked away. Not even the throbbing pain of his right arm could distract him from his destination. As he arrived, Callum took a deep breath and pushed the doors of the library open. He found her where she always was, holed up in the section of the library that specialized in the research of Dark Magic.

“Claudia…” He could barely force his voice to be above a whisper, his heart pounding from what he was about to get himself into.

“Callum! Hey, I haven’t seen you in awhile, how are-”

“I’m ready.” He said before he lost his nerve.

“What?” Claudia’s confused reaction caused Callum to sigh and clarify.

“I want to start learning Dark Magic.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Callum sits on a meeting where the discuss who will be the new regent. Eventually he decides Viren will be the best choice to rule the land whild also getting justice for his father and brother. He prepares to send his Aunt Amaya back to the breach.
> 
> ~~~
> 
> Callum thinks over his decision, realizing his weakness is the cause of his dad and Ez's demise. He decides to ask Soren during their sword training if he could give it everything he's got. This proves to backfire as Soren beats hin severely and leads Callum to choose something he never thought he would consider, studying Dark Magic.


	6. Convictions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum starts to learn about Dark Magic. Viren stumbles upon something, and Aunt Amaya prepares to leave for the Breach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***PLEASE READ BEFORE CONTINUING***  
> No Warnings this chapter, but i did want to let you guys know there has been an edit to the story. 
> 
> In the first chapter, Rayla hadn't gotten the Dragon egg, but I decided to change it so she did secure it and they were able to get it to Xadia. Not much was added or changed in the past chapters, but it will play a large part in the story moving forward, so I wanted you all to be aware. There isn't any need for you to reread, thats why I included this note. Now, hope you enjoy, this was a fun chapter to write ^^

Claudia blinked, as though trying to process what he had just said. Callum was steady in his convictions though. It felt right, that this is what he needed to do to get stronger. He had tried everything else, all of the other ideas to try and help his cause had failed, leading him to his final option. He thought back to his mom, how she had always openly despised dark magic. How would she feel about what he was doing now? Callum couldn’t be sure, so he pushed aside the small doubting voice in his brain and stood firm.

Finally, Claudia seemed to snap out of her shock, her face morphing into a giant grin. “Oh my gosh, yes, Callum, finally! Oh I am so excited, we’re going to learn so many cool things together, I just know it. I’m sure my dad would be happy to take you up as an apprentice, and if not, I can always teach you what I know. I mean, some say I’m even more gifted than my dad, which I don’t think is true, but it is a nice complement. Gosh, I really need to start planning how I want to start teaching you, what’s the most basic spell… hm, whatever, I’ll figure it out.”

Callum was overwhelmed by her reaction. While he suspected Claudia to be excited, considering she was the one to bring up the idea to him in the first place, he was not expecting this level of energy. He watched as she continued to move around the library, muttering excitedly to herself, and grabbing books off of the shelves, one after another, leaving blank spots in the shelves where the books would topple over one another, becoming unbalanced. In all the chaos, one book in particular tumbled from the shelves and landed with a heavy thump to the floor. As Claudia left it and went about gathering her materials, Callum felt oddly drawn to this book. 

To any other person, this book would look like nothing special. It was an old, leather bound book with simple golden writing on it, but what made it stand out to Callum was just HOW old it appeared. He grasped it, lifting it gently from the floor. On the edges, ancient runes had been etched into the spine, some binding spell he was certain, to make sure that even time couldn’t loosen the pages. He turned to examine the front cover.

_The Lost Truths of Dark Magic  
Ziard ___

____

__

Callum didn’t recognize that name. He glanced over at Claudia, who was walking over with a pile of books so high she couldn’t even see over them. She plopped them on the table and glanced at him. 

“What you got there, Callum?”

Callum looked back at the book, brow furrowed. “I’m not sure. I don’t even know who this man is. Do you know someone named… Ziard?”

Claudia tilted her head before bursting out laughing. “Do I know, Ziard? Of course I know who he is, he’s only the founder of Dark Magic!”

Callum blinked. “Really? Then this book must be a valuable resource right? I mean he wrote it.”

Claudia hummed as she read the title over his shoulder. “Hmmm, not really. He mainly wrote that book to preach about Dark Magic to people who were on the fence about using it. Of course it isn’t as taboo now as it used to be, so that book isn’t all that useful. Unless you want to read some old man drabble about Dark Magic page after page, I would leave it, it’s nothing more than a relic now. I found resources that will actually be useful to helping you learn something. Just give me a minute to write down some stuff you can start to study on your own, like different ingredients, what you do to activate ingredients, and combining ingredients, that way, we can get you learning actual spells in no time!”

Claudia then went to work, writing out some kind of “lesson plan” for Callum to follow, leaving Callum to his own devices. He glanced once again at the books in his hands, wondering why it seemed so important to him. With nothing better to do, he decided to give it a read and see if what Claudia said was true. He opened to a random page, surprised to see that what was written were accounts, almost as if this were a journal. 

_Four Months since the New Year:  
I have not heard word from my accomplice yet. He has told me to stay in hiding before he bestows upon me an item of great power. What this item will be, I do not know, but I do know it will help in my fight to rid the world of the elves and the dragons. For too long, humanity has suffered under their arrogant rein, as they continue to watch us starve and die while they live up in their gilded castles. Soon, it will be humanity’s time to rule, and the elves and dragons will finally face the justice they are owed. ___

____

__

_Six Months since the New Year:  
He has once again summoned me. I shall not speak his name, for I have heard of an evil spell used by the elves and dragons that will completely erase any mention of one’s name from text. A vile tool that I will not be falling victim too. He, is one of the Great Ones, an archmage, master of all primal sources. He has taken pity on humanity, says we are interesting characters, and that it would be a great loss if we were to disappear from this world. As I do, all the Great One wishes for is a balance of power to be shared among the elves, humans, and dragons, and with his power, it shall be done. ___

____

____

Great Ones? What are Great Ones? Callum looked over at Claudia, who was busy searching through one of the many books she had collected. So caught up in her planning, she didn’t even notice as Callum got up and left the section of the library that focused on Dark Magic, instead moving to the section that was focused more on Primal Magic. Due to being human and not having many resources on Primal Magic, the section was quite small, but hopefully with enough digging, Callum could find what he was searching for. 

Thankfully, it didn’t take long. As he flipped through an ancient tome, held together by the same runes that held Ziard’s journal, he stumbled upon that title: The Great Ones. As he read, he discovered that they were an ancient society of archmages, each the most powerful mage of their respected primal source. Not much was written about them, except that they had once protected the peace between elves and dragons, making sure to keep the separation with the humans that lived among them, thinking them impure and lesser for not being connected to an arcanum. One of them, however, spoke out about this practice, stating that humans were useful due to their innovative minds and cunning. The account was suddenly ended as it told of a great calamity that descended upon the Great Ones, wiping them all out.

All but one, Callum thought, picking up Ziard’s journal once more. He couldn’t be certain that the “Great One” Ziard was working with originated from these six that had been wiped out, but he had an inkling that the “He” Ziard kept mentioning had something to do with whatever befell the Great Ones, causing them to parish. Perhaps the elf that spoke out against humans had had enough of the ways they were being treated. 

With that in mind, Callum made his way back to Claudia, who was still holed up scribbling down his lesson plan. She was muttering herself about what lessons to teach, what ingredients would be best suited for beginners, etc. before she finally groaned and leaned back, obviously frustrated by the amount of planning that went into teaching someone Dark Magic. 

“Hey, Claudia, I’m going to head out, ok?” He offered her a smiled as she rested her forehead on the book in front of her. “Claudia… are you ok?”

Claudia sighed, throwing her hands up. “There’s just so much to teach you, this plan is going to take longer than I thought. I’ll have to consult my dad, see what he did to teach me. Is it ok if we postpone the teacher for a day or two?”

“That's fine, I actually wanted to get through this.” Callum held up Ziard’s book. “I read a few passages, it’s quite interesting.”

Claudia shrugged. “I don’t know how you can stand that droning he does, but if it interests you, I guess that all that matters. I’ll see you later, Callum, hopefully I’ll have this done, soon!”

Callum gave her a wave goodbye before making his way back to his room. It was time he started this book from the beginning, to discover the truth behind Dark Magic, straight from the creators mouth.

~~~

_The essence of Dark Magic, while it seems as though it comes from the creatures we yield, truly comes from within. There is a great sacrifice when performing this art, in that the user sacrifices his own life to perform these great deeds. That is why I do not cast spells lightly. I fear Dark Magic may lose its purpose, as we humans have been left with so little for so long; the freedom to have whatever we desire may become too much. Exercise caution when using this form of magic, for it is not to be used lightly. ___

____

____

Callum sat back with a deep breath. Unfortunately, it seemed that the worries Ziard had about Dark Magic had come true. Too often he had heard of others using Dark Magic for something as simple as lighting up a room, or, for Claudia, making pancakes of all things. As he read more of Ziard's accounts, he talked about the toll that Dark Magic takes on the user, and while it could be used to help, it was at the cost of the spellcaster himself. Callum swore to himself that he would follow Ziard's example and only use Dark Magic when it was absolutely necessary.

He turned to his notes that he had begun to scribble down. His old desk had been in shambles from his outburst over his drawing, and he quickly asked for a replacement to continue his studies. Ever since that night, he refused to pick up his pencil, shoving his sketchbook into a closet where he wouldn't be tempted to reach for it in times of stress. Instead, he poured over Ziard's accounts, finding the man to be quite the scholar, if not a little eccentric.

Over the few hours that he had been reading the notebook, he had learned so much about the history of Dark Magic. How it had been created to give humans the edge whenever they faced hardships that the elves and dragons opted to ignore. It seemed as though the elves and dragons were as selfish back then as they are now. It made Callum feel better about his decision. When he first decided to pursue Dark Magic, he had been worried what his mother would have thought, or Ez or the King. All of this family has expressed distaste for Dark Magic, and using it seemed to go against their memory. However, learning about the history and how to safely perform it put his mind at ease. Now, Callum felt in control. 

It was a feeling he had not felt in so long. For the past week, everything seemed to slip from his grasp, and it felt like he couldn't get control of anything. He recalled once when he was a child, how he told his mother how scared he was when he felt overwhelmed. She recommended taking a deep breath to help everything fall in order, so he could better wrap his head around what was happening. It's how it felt now, finally he had some solid footing and a sure way forward. 

Callum glanced at his notes to make sure he had gotten everything from this section, and was about to move onto the next when a knock sounded at his door. He blinked, wondering who it could be as he got up and padded over quickly. When he opened the door, he found Claudia on the other side, a wide smile on her face. 

"Callum! Good, glad you're here. Hey, I finally finished your lesson plan!" She handed him a stack of papers. "From what I know and asked my dad, these are the best spells for beginners. I thought, if you weren't busy, we could head down to my room and do some practice runs?"

Callum hummed, glancing at what she had written down. It all seemed like basic stuff, not something he would normally result to Dark Magic for, but given he had never done any spells, learning how to best do the incantations and activate the ingredients was a must. He smiled at Claudia.

"Thanks, Claudia, these look great. Let me gather some of my stuff. There are some spells I want to try, if we have the components for it, that is…. And if it's ok with you!" He quickly added, hoping he wasn't invading her space.

He was relieved when she smiled at him. "That sounds great! Go ahead and get your stuff and then we can head down, together."

Callum smiled and nodded, turning to grab his things. He glanced at Ziard's journal, contemplating taking it with given how Claudia thought of it. With another thought, he decided to shove it in his bag before leaving with Claudia.

~~~

Viren walked into his study, books in hand. After he had been named Regent over Katolis, he had immediately set to work to devise a plan that would force the elves and dragons into their rightful place below humanity. For centuries, humans have had to suffer under the arrogant rule of the dragons, now, Viren was determined to set things right. He thought back to Harrow and the little prince. It saddened him to get rid of his closest friend, but as things had been headed, Harrow was becoming a liability that stood in Viren’s way. Ever since Sarai’s death, the King had become weak, writing off Dark Magic, saying that it was a short cut. It was foolish, to think you would want to take the long way around to get to anything.

Harrow’s empathy for the creatures used in Dark Magic had become a hindrance as well, making it harder and harder for Viren to collect materials for his spells. It was best that Harrow was out of the way, even better he had been able to collect Prince Ezran as well. Just as Viren had anticipated, the weight of Callum’s loss was too much for the young prince to handle, and just as planned, Callum’s want for justice drove him to choosing Viren as his Regent over Opeli; yes, everything was falling into place. 

And now that Viren was Regent, he could finally set his plan in motion. In order to conquer Xadia, he must get the help of the other kingdoms within the pentarchy. It was time to call a Summit of the Pentarchy to talk over matters, plead for their help, warn them that if they did not help, the elves would surely strike their kingdoms next. But before all that, he had to check on something.

Making sure that no one was following him, Viren gently pushed open the painting that covered the way to his secret chamber, where the most rare ingredients for his spells were stored, along with something much more valuable: the egg of the Dragon Prince. He had confiscated it from Xadia the day he and Harrow had slew the King of the Dragons, Thunder. He still thanked the foolish Moonshadow elf that had begged him to spare the egg’s life. Soon, he would be able to utilize the egg’s power and destroy the elves and the dragons once and for all. How poetic it was, to be slain by the very being they thought would be their savior. 

As he got to the rock wall and punched in the code to reveal the staircase that led to the chamber, something began to feel off to him. Something in his gut was telling him something was wrong. When he got to the chamber, he paused, his heart clenching at the sight. The room was in ruins, the shelves seemed untouched, but that didn’t matter as much as the pedestal where the Dragon Egg had been kept, lay on the ground, the sheet shredded and the egg nowhere to be seen. There was obviously some sort of skirmish that had occurred, causing the torn blanket. No one would go to the trouble of tearing the sheet like they did if that was not the case. 

Viren walked over, examining the mess, trying to piece together what had happened and keep himself from exploding in rage. It would do him no good to lose sight of his goal, no matter the setbacks. Whoever had been down here seemed to have been pursued, given the different footprints that lay scattered around the dirt. None of it really mattered though. Viren glared at the toppled pedestal, no doubt it had been the elves that had taken the egg, who else could it have been? Surely no one in their right mind would venture down here out of happenstance… unless Prince Ezran had discovered this place. The boy had been notorious for exploring the secret tunnels laid out around the castle. Perhaps he had been pursued down here and the elf had stumbled upon the egg. 

In the end, it didn’t matter what happened. The egg was gone, and Viren now had to come up with an entirely new plan to finally conquer Xadia. With a growl, Viren quickly disposed of the blanket and rightened the pedestal. This produced an interesting challenge for Viren, without the egg, he no longer had an infinite power source to destroy the Xadian threat once and for all. Now, he needed the penatarcy’s help more than ever to finally conquer what was rightfully theirs. He hoped that with the egg retrieved and justice seemingly taken, the elves and dragons would let their guard down, giving humanity a perfect opportunity to take them down. 

~~~

General Amaya took a deep breath as she patted her horse, gently checking him over to make sure he was ready for the trip. She and her soldiers would be returning to the Breach to bolster their defences against the threatening force of the Sunfire elves. It was what needed to be done, and yet Amaya worried about Callum. Her nephew had not taken his father and brother’s passing well, then again, neither had Amaya. She begged her sister’s forgiveness; she had failed in her duty to protect her sons. Ezran was gone and Callum was losing himself in his grief. 

As Amaya sunk into her thoughts, her attention was grabbed as Gren signed that Callum was coming towards her. She looked up and turned, surprised to see Callum… happy? No, he wasn’t exactly happy, but he seemed at peace, more than he had been the last time she and him had been in each others presense. 

‘Callum, you look like you’re getting along alright?’ Don’t baby him, Amaya, that’s what got you into this mess. He may be young, but it seems like he was able to take care of himself. 

Callum nodded, signing back. ‘I wanted to say that I was sorry about what happened. I didn’t mean to snap at you back at the throne room… I know you’re scared, and you’re right, I wasn’t in a good place… but I’ve found something that has… taken the sting away from what happened. I finally feel in control now, Aunt Amaya.’

She smiled. ‘It’s ok Callum, none of us were in our right mind. I’m glad you’ve found something to get you through. May I ask… what it is?’

Callum furrowed his brow, looking down for second before his eyes once again met hers. ‘I’m not sure how you’ll react… When I first started, I was apprehensive. But, if I tell you, I ask that you trust me.’

Amaya wasn’t sure how she felt about that answer, but she did trust him and thus signed for him to continue. 

‘I, started to- to research Dark Magic… I know what you must think, mom HATED the use of Dark Magic and Ez and King Harrow weren’t fans of it either. But, Aunt Amaya, I felt so stuck! I’ve tried everything I could to get stronger so that I could protect myself, protect the people that I love, but nothing was working. I’ve always wanted to try magic, it was so interesting to me, but I can’t do Primal Magic, that's not what humans were meant to do. I began to read this journal, written by the person who invented Dark Magic; I think what he says makes a lot of sense. He sees Dark Magic, not as a shortcut, but a last resort, to use when you’re backed into a corner. I promise that I won’t overuse or abuse it, I just need to know you… you trust my decision.”

Aunt Amaya (and Gren) stared at Callum, surprised by his sudden confession. It was surprising to hear that Callum had resorted to studying Dark Magic, something he himself has stated multiple times that he wasn’t interested in pursuing. But desperate times did call for desperate measures, and Amaya couldn’t fault the boy for trying all he could to get stronger. As Callum continued to look apprehensive, Amaya smiled and pulled him into a tight hug. At first he seemed unsure of how to react, but quickly sunk into it, hugging her back, tightly. They stayed like that for a long while before he pulled away with a shy smile.

‘Thank you, Aunt Amaya, for understanding and… sticking by me.’

She nodded. ‘Callum, you’re the only family I have left. I love you and I want what’s best for you… but I understand your want to be your own person and do what you feel is best. If this is what you want, I’ll support you every step of the way.’

Callum signed, hesitantly. ‘I love you too. Please, be safe at the Breach… I-I don’t think I could handle losing you too.’

‘I will be, don’t worry. Take care of yourself, Cal.’ She ruffled his hair, causing him to laugh.

With that, she climbed on top of her horse and gestured for her soldiers to follow. With one last look at Callum standing alone in the courtyard, she quickly turned her horse and ushered it forward to begin racing towards the Breach.


	7. Pursuit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Callum starts learning Dark Magic.
> 
> Viren contemplates what to do with the mirror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of graphic depiction of animal violence. I mark it with (~~) its not a very long scene, but could be considered unpleasant for some people.

“Ok, Callum, the one thing that’s most important to know about Dark Magic is its purpose. Many times when doing Dark Magic, you may feel uncomfortable with what you’re doing, but knowing why you’re doing it helps to ease that feeling. So, why do you think humans use Dark Magic?” Claudia asked in her best instructor voice, turning towards him. She had begun to teach him about the uses of Dark Magic and how to do spells about a week ago. Already, Callum found he had troubles with using the magical creatures for his own gain. The idea of killing something for his own agenda seemed wrong to him, especially when doing it for no real reason but to practice. However, he kept telling himself that it had to be done in order for him to get stronger.

“Dark Magic was created to give humanity a chance at survival after years of death from illness and starvation. Even after the unicorns gifted us the ability to use primal magic, the elves and dragons threatened they would take away this power because they did not see us fit to yield it. The human mage, Ziard, created Dark Magic to help protect the people of Elarion survive through rough times without relying on the unicorn’s gift, but it backfired. The elves and dragons felt threatened that they were being hunted down for use in spells and tried to force Ziard to stop the practice. But Ziard refused, and in the end, it cost him his life.” Callum answered, thinking back to the panicked entries that had ended Ziard’s journal off. It was clear that the threats of the elves and dragons had shaken him; he was scared that they would have destroyed Elarion had he continued Dark Magic, and he had been right. Sol Regem, the King of the Dragons, was not the most understanding of kings and constantly threatened the humans who used Dark Magic. After he had been blinded during Ziard’s last stand, he decimated the city of Elarion, killing everyone who called it home. It had been the last great deed done against the humans before the archdragon of the moon, Luna Tenebris, drove them out in the event known throughout history as The Great Schism.

Claudia looked at him, surprised by how much he already knew. Unbeknownst to her, Callum had been doing extensive research on Ziard and the city of Elarion ever since he found his journal. Ziard’s idea of Dark Magic appealed to Callum, and made him feel better about taking innocent creatures' lives. Because to Ziard, they weren’t innocent creatures. The magical creatures had done nothing but let humanity suffer. While they died of illness and starvation, the magical creatures lived in their gilded houses and castles, ignoring humanity’s plight. He recalled a passage that a scholar had written after Ziard’s demise:

_The elves and dragons are arrogant. The dastardly beast, Sol Regem, murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent people, children, for the sake of his own pride. They refused to see us humans as we are, the innocent creatures that they let die without a second glance. The gentle unicorns took it upon themselves to show us humans mercy… now the magical creatures will help us once more. Their sacrifice will bring upon a new age of peace for humanity, for the world. The elves and dragons must no longer rule, for they have already shown they are incapable of showing sympathy to the plight of those less fortunate than themselves. We humans will rule and lead this world into a brighter future for us all._

_Finally, elves and dragons will know what it's like to be a "lesser being"._

Callum took a deep breath and looked at Claudia. “It still doesn’t make me feel right, taking a creature's power for myself… but I know in order to get stronger, it has to be done…”

Claudia sighed. “Listen, Callum, I know this is hard for you, but you have to understand. We humans were born with nothing, and throughout our entire history it has done nothing but drive us to desperation. I know that Dark Magic may seem cruel, but in order for humanity to flourish… it’s our only hope.”

Callum glanced over at the small Burrowing Mouse who scuttled in a tiny jar, off to the side. It was a creature that was considered readily accessible, but holds the power to allow Callum the ability to feel the slight vibrations of the earth for a short period of time. It was useful when you had to be weary of anyone following you. However, Callum still felt hesitant, not in killing the creature, but in using Dark Magic for no reason. He still disagreed with Claudia using Dark Magic for anything, instead of waiting for the appropriate time. He had promised himself he would only use it when it counts, but how could he learn if he didn’t do at least a couple of the easy spells…

Gulping, Callum sealed his nerves and walked over to the mouse, watching as it began to scurry frantically as he approached. He briefly thought about how Ez would have found it adorable, before quickly pushing that thought away. He couldn’t think about Ez, not now, he needed to do this. So, without another thought, he dumped the mouse into his hands, watching it stilled and sniffed around his palm. He glanced over at Claudia who nodded, urging him onward. With one last, deep breath, Callum shut his eyes and closed his fist over the small mouse. ~~ It squeaked and tried to bite its way out of Callum’s grasp, unable to get through the thick leather of his gloves. Without another thought, Callum squeezed his fist as tightly as he could. He shuddered as he felt the fragile bones crack under his grip, one last soft squeak was all he heard before the little mouse went silent.~~ With it done, he began to speak the incantation, going slowly as to make sure he didn’t mess it up.

_“Elbmert s’htrae eht leef em tel.” (Let me feel the Earth’s tremble.)_

~~~

Callum opened his eyes as they glowed an evil purple. A brown smoke began to waft from his hand and down to his feet. Suddenly, he was able to feel everything going on in the castle. Handmaidens walking to rooms to clean up a mess, guards swapping shifts or patrolling the corridors. He gasped and looked over at Claudia who sported a huge smile.

“Callum! That’s amazing!” She jumped up and down, excited. “I can’t believe you got it so fast! It took me at least a week to master that spell, and you got it on your first try!”

Callum blinked, his eyes fading to a menacing black before returning to their normal green. He stumbled, and Claudia rushed up to catch him before he fell to the ground. He groaned, shaking his head. “Ugh, will I always almost pass out after a spell?”

Claudia laughed and helped him stand. “Nah, you just have to get used to the magic coursing through you is all. Humans aren’t used to having magic course through us, so experiencing it all at once like that can be a bit much for the body.”

Callum nodded, he supposed that made sense. Though he wasn’t sure if he should continue with practice today. “I think I’ve had enough for one day, I’m going to go and lay down…”

“Probably for the best. I know when I first started Dark Magic, I slept for almost an entire day after my first spell, but as I did it more and more, it got easier. Though, more difficult spells still make me feel nauseous.” Claudia explained as she helped him up the stairs.

Callum nodded, he supposed it made sense. Not being a magical creature and having magic just suddenly flow through you would make any body freak out. He hoped after a nice rest, he would be better to continue practicing. When they arrived at his room, he waved goodbye to Claudia before stepping in and falling, face-first, onto his bed. Before he fell asleep, he made sure to send out a silent thanks to the mouse for giving its life for Callum’s use. With that done, he slowly fell into a deep sleep.

~~~

  
Callum glanced around as he walked down a dim corridor. Nothing was visible, save a few cracks in the withered stone. Every five feet was illuminated by a torch that wielded a flickering green flame. The corridor seemed endless as Callum made his way to wherever it led. He was beginning to give up hope that it would lead anywhere when an eerie light appeared at the end. Quickening his pace, Callum finally arrived at the vast cavern. All around him, those torches blazed, casting the entire room in green light. No sunlight could be seen, the cavern looked to be completely underground. In the middle was a pedestal that rose above murky, black water. And on that pedestal, a person stood. Slowly, Callum approached the figure.

“Hello?” Callum called, walking up the stairs to where the figure was. “Who are you?”

He heard the figure laugh softly, but it was unlike anything he had ever heard. It’s voice seemed to echo across the cavern and yet was only a whisper. Callum stepped back as the figure turned and slowly took off his hood, revealing… himself? Or, he thought it was himself, but the figure before him was slightly different. His skin was sickly pale with his hair a tangled mess. His eyes were tired and a pale, sickly green, nothing like the vibrant green that people often raved about. It was him… but not, some sort of ghost of a person.

“Don’t be afraid… I just want to talk.” The ghost said quietly, as though anything louder would cause him to dissipate.

“What… are you? I mean, you’re me, but I don’t look like that, uh, no offense.” The ghost of him smiled sadly.

“Oh, but we are more alike than you know. I am your inner conscience. You have taken a beating over the last few weeks.” Callum hunched his shoulder as he glanced away from the apparition.

“I- I suppose I have. I guess you reflect my mental state, huh?” The ghost nodded.

“I don’t mean to frighten you, Callum. But I must address what you’ve been doing.” The figure stepped towards him, a sad look on his face. “Callum, is this really what you want?”

Callum looked away. “I don’t understand.”

“I think you do. Once you start down the path of Dark Magic, you cannot stop. It’s a slippery slope from here on out, and I need to make sure you’re willing to make this sacrifice. “

Callum hunched his shoulders, clutching his fist. “I need to do this… I’m willing to do anything to get revenge on the elves and dragons for murdering my family.”

“But do you really need to?” The apparition sighed. “Callum, this will only lead to more devastation and heartbre-”

“No… this will lead to peace. I can’t be sure that Xadia will stop here, what if they come after Katolis while we sit, twiddling our thumbs. I will not allow them to take away anything more from me, and I can ensure that if I get rid of them, once and for all.” Callum sneered, turning away from this broken image of himself.

“Callum, do you hear yourself? You’re suggesting mass genocide!” The figure protested, causing Callum to turn towards it again.

“Have the elves and dragons ever worried about human lives lost? We have been at their mercy for too long… I didn't want to turn to Dark Magic, but if it is what will make me strong enough to fight for humanity's future, then so be it.” Callum sighed and turned away from the ghost as it shimmered.

“Callum… think about your family, your mother, Ez, Harrow! Would they want this?” The ghost cried desperately.

Callum turned away. “It doesn’t matter… they’re gone, and they aren’t coming back…”

With this, the figure began to dissipate, leaving Callum by himself. He slowly sunk to his knees, clutching his hands on his knees. He had to do this… he would do this! WIth Viren’s help, he was sure they could finally show Xadia that Katolis was not to be messed with.

~~~

Viren groaned as he walked up the stairs from his lair. The loss of the Dragon Prince’s egg was a huge wrench in his plans, but he had to move onward. Afterall, relying on one method of conquering Xadia was bound to fail, he had other means of getting the job done. His mind drifted to Prince Callum. Claudia had updated him on his progress and it appeared as though the boy was getting a hand of Dark Magic much faster than any of them had anticipated. If he kept up this progress, he would become a valuable asset. Though he still worried about the Prince’s mental state. Losing your entire family was bound to drive anyone to their breaking point. He would have to keep a close eye on him...

As he walked into his room, Viren’s eyes drifted to the mirror that sat near the other wall. Furrowing his brow, he walked over to it and withdrew the tarp to reveal the reflective surface. He had discovered this mirror when he had gone to rid the world of the Dragon Prince. After he had made sure the elves protecting the egg had been taken care of, he noticed the mirror. Believing it had some sort of importance, he hauled the mirror from the Storm Spire to Katolis and had been trying to discover its secrets ever since. He hadn’t gotten anywhere, but he wasn’t going to give up. He glanced towards some of the books he had been using to research various methods to uncover what this mirror was hiding. He had stumbled upon an ancient spell that used many hard to find components. Considering that everything he had tried beforehand had resulted in nothing, there was no reason to believe this spell would do anything, but he had to try. Walking over to the table, he made a list of the components he would send Claudia to gather as he called for the council to discuss the need for a summit of the Pentarchy. With the egg gone, he now required the help of the other kingdoms to take on the Xadia threat.

Viren left to find his daughter to deliver to the list. He found her where she normally spent her time, in her room studying different spells to use for the future. “Claudia.” He called to get her attention.

She glanced up from what she was doing and smiled. “Hey dad, where have you been? I was actually just about to come and get you to inform you that Callum is making great progress, he actually performed his first spell today!”

Viren’s eyebrows knit together. “Already? But it has only been a week since he started studying Dark Magic.”

“I know!” Claudia exclaimed. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone master a spell so fast, not even the most experienced Dark Mages. If he keeps practicing, he could very well become one of the strongest Dark Mages Katolis has ever seen!”

Viren grunted. “I wouldn’t go that far. We still do not know if he has the guts to do Dark Magic, it can be very challenging on the mind. Do you think he can handle it?”

Claudia hummed, turning back to her work. “He has been struggling with that, but I think his convictions are driving him forward. If he keeps at it, I think he’ll get used to it.”

Viren nodded and walked over to her, dropping the list on her desk. “I have a request for you. While I call upon the council to summon a summit of the Pentarchy, I need you to find these items.”

Claudia blinked and grabbed the list, reading it over. “Wow dad, what are you going to do with this, these are some pretty rare components.”

“It is for that damned mirror that has been giving me headaches ever since I found it. With these components, I hope to use an ancient spell that will reveal whatever it is hiding from me.”

“And you’re so sure that it is hiding something?” Claudia asked.

“Out of everything, the Dragon King and Queen kept this close to where they slept. It must mean something to them.” Viren explained. “Nevertheless, please find these components. I would do it myself, but-”

“But you're busy ruling the kingdom, I understand.” Claudia smiled at him in understanding. She always did seem to know exactly what he was thinking. “Don’t worry dad, I love a challenge, and I think this would be good experience for Callum when it comes to finding spell components.”

“Hmm, just be careful, Claudia. I don’t trust the young prince. He is unstable and could go off the deep end at any moment.” Viren warned.

Claudia sighed. “I know… but I think he’s getting a lot better…”

“Perhaps.” Viren relented. “Anyway, I’m off to summon the council. Be sure to get those components as soon as you can.”

Claudia nodded and Viren left her to her own devices. It was now time to summon the council so they could discuss calling a summit in order to get the other kingdoms to fight alongside Katolis when they finally made their move against Xadia.


	8. Conflicted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viren meets with the council and Callum and Claudia go hunting for some rare components

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No CW this chapter! OMG sorry it took a month, I really wanted to finish my Halloween fic Whisper of You before Halloween and I knew I couldnt if I did that and Twisted. Go check it out if you can! I hope you guys enjoy, a lot has been going on so I poured my emotions into this one XD

Viren walked down the hall, a soft, sinister smile on his face. Now that he had Claudia gathering those components to finally find the secret behind that mirror, it was now time to put his plan into action. With the other kingdoms behind Katolis, humanity could finally go against Xadia and take down that threat once and for all. He notified the guards stationed in front of the throne room that the council would not be disturbed while they discussed before walking in. He waited as the council filtered in. Last to enter was Opeli, glancing at Viren suspiciously before taking her place at the table.

“Now that everyone is here,” Viren started. “We can finally get started.”

“Viren, why did you call this meeting?” Opeli questioned, crossing her arms.

“Hm, I thought it would be obvious, Opeli! It is finally time to address the threat that is at our door! Xadia has murdered our King and heir, it is time that we show them we will not stand idly by while they tear down all that we have built!” Viren explained, the other council members nodding in agreement.

Opeli, however, sneered. “Viren, if you think we have the power to attack Xadia, you must be mad! Besides, I’m not sure if we should be making these decisions without Prince Callum’s consent, he should have a say!”

Viren rolled his eyes. “Prince Callum put me in charge because he thought me best fit to get revenge on Xadia with the fewest sacrifices, or have you forgotten?”

Opeli continued to grimace. “That doesn’t mean you can just march against Xadia, Viren, you’ll get hundreds of thousands killed!”

“Well, Opeli, it seems you’ve led us into the reason we have called this meeting. I want to call for a summit of the pentarchy. After what Katolis has faced, I am sure the other kingdoms will agree to help us with our attack.” Viren continued to explain.

“I think that this is our best course of action.” One of the other council members agreed. “We must show Xadia that we will not be shaken, Katolis and the other human kingdoms.”

Viren smiled as the others nodded. “Then it’s decided. I will send out letters to the other kingdoms after we have adjourned.”

Opeli shook her head. “Viren, I still think this is unnecessary. Plus, we don’t even know if Xadia is planning on attacking us again. It could be very likely that they wanted to get revenge for us killing their king and heir. Perhaps now that they’ve got their revenge, they’ll leave us alone.”

“Now who is assuming things, Opeli?” Viren countered. “Why are you so reluctant to call this summit, anyway? King Harrow and Prince Ezran were just murdered by Xadia, this is the perfect opportunity for the human kingdoms to rally together to take down this threat… unless you emphasize with the elves and dragons?” 

The other council members glanced at her suspiciously as Opeli fumbled for a response. “Of course I don’t emphasize with them! I’m just doing my duty so we don’t send thousands of innocent people to an early grave.”

“The forces of Xadia are hardly innocent.” Viren said, darkly. “Now, unless anyone has anything else to say, let’s put it to a vote.”

All but Opeli’s hands went up in vote for calling a summit. Viren smiled and thanked everyone for their attendance, smirking as the other council members gave Opeli one last suspicious glance before departing. As he was leaving, Opeli spoke up. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing Viren. It isn’t right to just attack Xadia and bring destruction upon so many people.”

Viren smirked. “Don’t think you have any power here, Opeli. Step lightly, one misstep and you’ll crack under the pressure.”

With that, Viren stepped out of the throne room to prepare the letters for the other kingdoms.

~~~

Claudia walked a few paces ahead of him as they wandered through the woods close to Katolis castle. They were on the hunt for rare components, though Claudia wouldn’t say what for. 

“My dad wanted them, he never told me what he was doing though.” She had explained, and Callum supposed that was as good an explanation as he was going to get. 

They had brought a few things on their journey, including knives, scissors, gloves, a basket, all things that Claudia said was needed for collecting components for Dark Magic spells. Callum still felt uncomfortable with what they were doing, especially when he wasn’t sure what the components were for. Claudia did her best to calm his nerves to no avail.

The forest itself didn’t look particularly magical, and when Callum brought this up to Claudia, she explained that in the human kingdoms, magical components were hard to come by, but not impossible to find. It just depended on if you knew where to look, and Claudia assured Callum that she knew all the best hiding places.

“I used to come with my dad when he was out hunting for items. He showed me all the places to find them, so you’re with the best person to learn!”

“Wonderful…” Callum murmured, still concerned about what they were doing.

Claudia led him to a large cliff that stretched into the sky. She had apparently done some research on the items that they needed, and one of them grew on a cliff face, close to open air. 

“It’s called Sky Lace, it should be close to the top to get better access to the winds. Maybe there’s a path we can climb to get a better view… or I could do a spell to create a path, hmmm.” Callum hunched his shoulders. Creating a path to the top seemed so unnecessary.

“I’m sure we can find a path, let’s not waste the materials trying to create a path, yeah?” He suggested, praying Claudia would just go with him. 

Thankfully, Claudia nodded. “Ok, that’s fine. Alright, you go to the left and I’ll go to the right. The Sky Lace is a bright blue flower that has long petals that seem to dance in the wind. Just make sure you don’t touch the stem, it’s very poisonous to humans.”

Callum nodded and made sure that he packed a pair of gloves before going off on his way. He glanced up towards the top of the cliff, looking for the flower that Claudia described, or at least a path he could take to the top. Finally, after he had travelled for about five more minutes, he spotted something. He got a bit closer, squinting to help him see what it was. He smiled when he caught sight of flowing blue petals, that must be the flower!

Looking around, Callum wasn’t able to find a path that led to the plants easily, but a closer look at the cliff revealed footholds that seemed easy to climb. Callum was never going to be physically capable of much, but he assumed he could handle this. He put his foot onto the rock and tried for the hand holds. He grunted as he tried to pull himself up, to no avail. With one more glance up to the flowers, he tried again to pry himself up. It was slow going, his arms burned from the strain of continuously hauling himself along the cliff face, but finally he made it. He scrambled to a ledge where some of the flowers were situated and got to work. He put on the glove and began to pluck the petals from the stem, careful not to break them. When he got what he thought was more than enough, he carefully made his way down the cliff, his arms shaking with the effort. 

Claudia came running up to him as he finally got down, a grin on her face. “Callum! You found some? That's amazing, good job! How did you even get up there?”

Callum shrugged, still panting. “I just… climbed up there. There are… footholds… in the cliff you can… climb.”

He took a deep breath to calm his heart before handing Claudia the pouch of pedals he had collected. She looked inside and grinned. “This is great, Callum! Thank you.”

He nodded. “What else is on the list?”

Claudia smirked at him. “Lucky for us, on my voyage to find the Sky Lace, I encountered a Glitter Fly! They’re super rare and appear almost invisible during the day, so I was shocked that I was able to find one at all! Thankfully the light of the sun was covered by the clouds just enough that I was able to see it.”

She held up a jar that had the Glitter Fly presumably inside. Like Claudia had said, it looked empty until she covered it from the light. The creature inside suddenly became visible, a beautiful dragonfly-like creature with glowing iridescent wings. Callum smiled as he took it in. 

“It’s so beautiful!” He proclaimed, not able to take his eyes off of it.

Claudia nodded and covered the jar in a sheet before placing it back into her bag. “It is, I’m so glad I was able to find it! The spell can’t be complete unless we have it’s wings!”

Callum felt his heart drop. “I-its wings? The spell needs you to rip its wings off?”

“Of course! It’s an integral part of the spell!” Claudia explained, walking off.

Callum stumbled after her, eyes glancing every which way, trying to get the image of Claudia tearing the wings off of that innocent creature out of his head. Once again he questioned what this spell was that needed these components. Was it so important that they had to mutilate such a beautiful creature?

“Cl-claudia wait!” Callum yelled after her. “I… I don’t know if we should be doing this…”

Claudia turned to look at him, brow furrowed. “Why do you think that?” 

“I just… to kill and dismember something so beautiful and rare, and for what? Ziard said that dark magic should only be used if absolutely necessary, that the reward needs to exceed the consequences of what dark magic does to you… is this one of those cases, or are we just using dark magic as a shortcut?” Callum sneered, glancing at the Glitter Fly with a heavy heart.

Claudia kept staring at him, glancing at the creature before returning her sharp gaze to meet his eyes. “Listen, Callum, I know you feel strongly about this… your family was very against dark magic… and… well...”

Callum took a step back. “Well what?”

“Have you ever thought that maybe that was the reason they, you know?” Claudia glanced at him as he stood as still as a statue. “I mean, yes dark magic is a shortcut, but honestly, what’s wrong with that? We get what we need faster and easier.”

“What we need… or what we want?” Callum turned from Claudia with a deep sigh. 

Claudia came up to him and gently placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Callum, I know you’re hurting, maybe you can talk about it? What do you call it… a ‘Big Feelings Time’?”

Callum’s shoulders suddenly hunched and he quickly turned on Claudia, an angry glint in his eye. While he did have some big feelings, all that mentioning it did was bring up unwanted memories of… better times. A time when the hardest thing he had to worry about was if the other kids liked him. Now everything was so complicated.

“Big Feelings Time? Ok, you want some big feelings? How about the fact that I’m an orphan at 15? My father, mother, and little brother were all murdered by the forces of Xadia, and I was hopeless to stop it… Now I have to rely on the thing they all hated… that I hated… hate. Just staring at that Glitter Fly, it makes me feel like a coward, killing it for my own gain, to do something that I have no clue about. Huh, I just… this is really hard for me Claudia, it goes against everything that I have ever learned. What would they think if they saw me now? Would they look at me and see a monter?” Callum sighed and turned to her, his expression exhausted. “Let’s just… get the rest of the components and get home… I need to sleep.”

“Callum, wait!” But Callum didn’t listen and started forward, not sure where he was going. Eventually, Claudia caught up with him wearing a worried look, but he didn’t react. He wasn’t really in the mood to explain himself right now. 

The two continued through the forest, following the cliff that they found the Sky Lace growing on. The sun was just getting to its peak when Claudia exclaimed and ran towards a small opening in the side of the cliff, covered by overgrown vines. Callum blinked, broken from his self destructing thoughts when Claudia broke from his side to investigate the opening. She looked over at him with a grin.

“This is it! The last component we need is in here: the eye of an Earth Golem. We have to be careful, normally they’re peaceful, but they’ll attack if they feel threatened. We don’t necessarily have to kill it, though if it becomes too dangerous, it may be our only chance. Luckily, I brought some stuff for a spell that should make this relatively easy.” Claudia reported, looking over as Callum walked up to her.

“And how do we know the Earth Golem is in here?” He asked, looking at the small crevice built into the side of the cliff, trying to imagine a giant fitting through that small entrance.

Claudia smiled. “Earth Golem’s have the unique ability to completely disassemble themselves to fit through even the smallest exits!”

Callum’s eyes widened. “That’s really cool!”

Claudia grinned at him, happy Callum seemed to be distracted from his bad mood. She turned to the crevice and ignited the spell that allowed her hand to light up and show her the way through the dark. Callum watched intensely, with that look he used when he was interested in something. She smirked at him before making her way through the entrance. It was a tight squeeze, even for Claudia and Callum’s slim figures. They carefully crept along the walls, being careful not to slip on any loose gravel. It was slow going, but eventually they made it to a crossroads.

They stood in the middle, looking around, trying to figure out which way to go next. 

“Which way now?” Callum asked, glancing at the two identical entrances. 

Claudia hummed, thinking about the last time, a long time ago, when her dad had taken her hunting for components and they encountered a place very similar to this one. Suddenly, she remembered what her dad had done to reveal which path to take, and extinguished her palm. 

“Ack! Why did you do that?” Callum gasped when they were suddenly plunged into darkness.

“Patience, my friend, you’ll see.” Claudia grinned as a soft light slowly illuminated the cave, coming from the right tunnel.

She glanced at Callum with a smirk and made her way down the tunnel, Callum following close behind. The two skirted through the narrow path, their hands getting scratched by shark rocks and crystals that hugged the walls. Finally, they reached the entrance to the source of light.

When they walked through, Callum stood, awestruck, at the gorgeous sight in front of him. Underground waterfalls that glowed a magical blue poured all around them, with a giant stone structure that reached all the way up to the ceiling, giving support so it didn’t crumble.On the structure were giant roots that reached out and struck deeper into the ground, creating a canopy of sorts. The glow from the waterfalls was matched by glistening wisps that floated around the area.

“These wisps are often found in magical areas around Katolis.” Claudia explained as she walked further into the underground cavern. “My dad and I went exploring these caves when I was a kid, and every cavern we discovered like this had these wisps. I’m not sure if they’re alive, but my dad has a theory that they’re pure Earth primal energy.”

“Incredible…” Callum murmured, taking in the sight of the wisps, and even catching one in his palm. It was warm, like it radiated life.

“Alright, alright, stop sightseeing, we do have a job to do!” Claudia grinned and marched forward.

Callum scrambled after her, gently letting the wisp go in order to follow after Claudia. It didn’t take long for them to find the Earth Golem. It lay underneath the roots, resting. At first Callum had thought it was just a pile of rocks, until Claudia pointed to the two giant golden gems that made up it’s eyes. They seemed dim, and Claudia explained that it was because the golem was sleeping. It was also apparently the perfect time to get their hands on them.

Callum stared guilty at the magnificent creature. It had done nothing to them, yet here they were, about to ruin it’s life, or even kill it if it became a threat. A threat due to them attacking it unprovoked. All these thoughts were rushing through Callum’s head as he slowly approached after Claudia. They stalked around the golem, carefully not to make any sudden movements. As Claudia got closer, she pulled out something from her belt. From the looks of it, it looked to be a… claw?

“Htgnerts ydrets er’uoy em tnarg, walc dnarg.”(Grand claw, grant me you’re sturdy strength) Claudia chanted, the claw turning a sickly green and encasing her hand. 

Callum watched as Claudia’s once delicate hand became coated in layers of scales, her thin fingers growing until they morphed into large claws. He gulped as she took her now deformed hand and slowly made her way over to the golem. She stopped a few feet from it, glancing back at Callum, holding her hand to inform him to stay still while she worked. He gave her a shaky smile and a thumbs up before she started.   
It was quick. Claudia reached forward and grasped the golem’s eye within her claws, her fingers digging into the stone. A rumble shook the cavern, and it took Callum a second to realize that it was the golem waking up. Claudia seemed to realize it as well as she put her foot on the golem’s head to give herself more leverage before pulling back hard. 

Removing the eye was easy enough, the strength from the spell making it easy to pull the eye out of the golem’s socket. The aftermath was a different story. The Golem roared in pain and outrage, causing rocks to begin to fall from the ceiling. Claudia gasped, quickly dodging out of the way as rocks rained down on where she was just standing.

“Quick! We have to get out of here!” Claudia cried, her scaly hand still gripping the golem’s eye between her fingers. 

Callum tried to nod, before suddenly being thrown back from the giant's mighty force as it stood, sweeping it’s arm along the ground, catching Callum on his side. He gasped as he hit one of the giant roots, crumbling to the ground.

“Callum!” He heard Claudia cry. As he shakily rose to his feet, he saw the golem towering over Claudia, once again sweeping its arm across the ground, as though trying to find something. It was then that Callum realized the golem was searching for its eye. Claudia had maneuvered herself into its blindspot, trying to stay away as it rampaged. 

Unfortunately, she could only stay away for so long. Finally, the golem got a lucky shot in, knocking Claudia to the side, sending her flying and crashing to the ground. 

“Claudia! Don’t worry, I’m coming!” Callum stumbled his way towards his friend, skirting around the rocks that had fallen into his path. Thankfully the golem had wandered away, still looking for its eye.

When Callum got to Claudia, he was relieved to see that she wasn’t badly injured, just dazed. A small cut on her forehead bled down her face, into her eye, causing her to shut it tight. “Claudia,are you ok?”

“Mmmm, hmm?” She grumbled, glancing around slowly, her eyes unfocused. 

“Don’t worry Claudia, we’ll get out of here, don’t worry. You… you got the eye?” He glanced around them, pleased to see the eye a few feet from where they were seated. “I found it, let me get it real quick, then we can leave.”

Claudia didn’t respond, but he didn’t expect her to, in her state. He took one last glance at the golem as it crashed through the cavern, roaring in search of its lost body part. Callum crept over to the eye, taking it in his hand, admiring the beauty of it. Inside it seemed to glow, as though a fire was forever burning within. He smiled and turned back to Claudia, about to exclaim that he had gotten it, when he realized his mistake. The glowing eye glinted in the light of the cave, alerting the golem of its location. It turned towards Callum, and began to charge. Callum yelled in surprise and dashed away, to avoid getting trampled. 

The golem, with its huge size, quickly caught up to Callum, and was soon barreling down on him. He cried out and sprinted to the side, tripping over his own feet, trying to get as much distance between the golem and him as humanly possible. Callum glanced around, trying to figure out a way out of this mess. As his eyes darted around the cavern, his mind suddenly remembered something Claudia had said.

‘My dad and I went exploring these caves when I was a kid, and every cavern we discovered like this had these wisps. I’m not sure if they’re alive, but my dad has a theory that they’re pure Earth primal energy.’

An idea suddenly bloomed in Callum’s mind, and he veered towards a group of the glimmering wisps. The golem needed a lot of time to turn, giving Callum a chance to gather the wisps in his grasp. With the golem finally facing the right direction and now charging after him, Callum’s mind went blank. He took a deep breath, crushing the wisps in his grasp.

“ raeh etaciled eht rettahs, htraE fo raeps.” (Spear of Earth, shatter the delicate heart) He chanted, thrusting his hand against the ground. The energy from the wisps engulfed his hand and traveled into the Earth, before it burst out of the ground, creating a javelin of rock that stabbed the Earth Golem straight through the chest.

Callum watched in horror as the great beast screamed in agony, no longer angry about it’s missing eye, in too much pain to care. The golem flailed around the cavern, the force of its great body breaking the spear in half from its hold. The rocky structures that formed its limbs began to break apart, the giant rearing as its legs broke from underneath its body, causing the rest of it to crash to the ground, breaking into a million pieces, until it just looked like a large pile of boulders.

Callum’s heart pounded as he stared down at the remains of the golem. He couldn’t believe what he had just done, using the wisps as some sort of weapon, killing an innocent creature…

It was trying to kill you, it needed to be slain. The voice inside of him reasoned, a voice that… sounded nothing like him. 

Before he had come on this trip, the idea of using magical creatures to his benefit made him feel sick to his stomach… but after slaying that golem, something he never could have done on his own, it made him feel… powerful. He stared at his hands, still smoking from the essence of magic. And while he still felt nauseous from using magic for only the second time, he didn’t feel nearly as bad as he had last time. Maybe he was getting the hang of this afterall…

With that in mind, he grabbed the golem’s eye and stalked towards Claudia, who was now, thankfully, sitting up, though still obviously dazed. “Claudia, are you feeling alright?”

“Ugh, yeah, I think so. Sorry about that, Callum, I didn’t mean to leave you with a ramaging golem. How about you, are you doing alright?” She asked, getting shakily to her feet.

“I’m ok… I… killed the golem. It was about to kill me, so I knew I had no choice. I feel like I should feel ashamed, guilty, anything! But instead…”

Claudia tilted her head. “Instead?”

Callum looked up at her, a glint in his eye. “Instead, I feel… unstoppable.”

Claudia smiled at him, eyes shifting over to the golem’s disintegrated form, widening at what she saw. “Wait, Callum, how did you kill it?”

“I used the wisps! You said your dad hypothesized that they were pure Earth primal energy? Well, I think I just proved that theory correct.” He smiled at Claudia, his eyes twinkling.

Claudia stood in shock at how easily Callum has adjusted to Dark Magic. Given he has only used it once before, it was surprising he didn’t even seem phased after casting a spell that would have taken a lot of energy. In fact, he looked reinvigorated. Maybe Dark Magic was the key to him getting better after all.

“That’s great Callum.” She finally said, offering her friend a smile. 

Callum didn’t seem to notice though as he handed her the golem’s eye and turned around, staring at the pile of rocks left behind. “Are you ready to go?”

Claudia nodded. “Yeah, this was the last component, we’re ready to head back.”

“Great….”

~~~

When they got back from their hunting trip, Claudia asked Callum if he would be willing to take the ingredients to her father’s study as she wasn’t feeling well, and he readily agreed. He had been hoping Viren would be accommodating to his new found interest in Dark Magic and let him borrow some of his rare tomes. 

Callum made his way up to Viren’s study, the components tucked into Claudia’s bag. When he got there, he knocked on the heavy wooden doors, opening them when he heard someone welcome him in. Inside was the same as he remembered, a dark room with bookshelves lining the ways, a large table in the middle piled high with books and an ornate mirror tucked to the side of the room. Viren was currently at the table, reading up on something. As Callum came closer, he looked up, slamming the book shut, so Callum wouldn’t see.

“Callum, what can I do for you?” He asked, his voice steely.

Callum hesitated before swinging the pack off his shoulder. “Claudia and I are finished collecting those ingredients you asked for.”

He set the pack on the table for Viren to peek through. As she shuffled through the components, he nodded in approval. “Good job, you two. That will be all.”

Callum hesitated before leaving. Viren, annoyed, glanced up at him. “What do you need, Callum, I’m very busy preparing for this summit.”

“Oh! It’s good it got approved… I was just wondering… what spell you were doing.”

“It’s none of your concern, now off you go.” He turned back to his reading, ending the conversation there. Callum sighed and walked out, closing the door behind him. He glanced back, making a quick decision before he silently cracked open the door to see what Viren was up to.

Thankfully the regent didn’t see him as he slowly closed the book he was reading and walked over to where the mirror sat, the satchel holding the ingredients in his grasp. 

“Now, mystery mirror, you will reveal your secrets to me.” He spoke, just loud enough for Callum to hear what he was saying.

He began to prep for the spell, crushing the golem’s eye to dust and stirring it in with a poultice made from the Sky Lace and the Glitter Fly wings Claudia had severed on their way back from hunting. Callum still felt guilty, but figured he owed it to the creatures he had slain to see what their parts were being used for. He watched as Viren finished the mixture, holding the mortar up to the mirror and speaking a spell. 

“Neddih si tahw ees ot modeerf em edivorp stneicna fo seye eht.” (The eyes of ancients provide me freedom to see what is hidden.)

With the words spoken, he took a handful of the mixture and threw it over the mirror. As the dust settled onto the it, Viren, and Callum, waited with a bated breath. They waited… and waited, but nothing happened. Callum felt his heart sink, suddenly worried that all of those creatures had been slain for no reason.

“Gah! You are useless! No matter, I have a summit to attend, your secrets can wait.” Viren whipped around and began walking to the door. Callum gasped and sprung away, leaping to the side just as the door opened. 

Thankfully, Viren was too wrapped up in his thoughts to notice Callum lurking near the opening of his office. As the regent disappeared down the steps, Callum breathed a sigh of relief, and got up. He was about to leave himself when he noticed that in his frustration, Viren failed to close the door behind him. Callum grabbed the handle, but before he pulled it shut, something caught his eye. He poked his head through and gasped, his arm falling away from the handle as he took in the sight of before him. The mirror that had previously been like any ordinary mirror now showed a completely different scene: that of a fancy library in some unknown location. 

Callum felt his feet carry him over to the mirror, staring in shock at what was being shown. How was it possible, was this mirror something special like Viren thought? Curiosity bloomed in Callum’s chest and it suddenly felt like he was going to burst with excitement. With one last glance at the mirror, he ran out of Viren’s study, excited to go to the library to see if he could find anything about this remarkable occurrence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I headcannon Dark Magic wears more heavily on the user the more they doubt I'd they should use it. Like Callum in the show was very doubtful and that's why he felt so sick afterwards where as here, Callum had little doubt in such a dire situation which is why he was perfectly fine afterwards. Hope that makes sense XD
> 
> Anywho, OMG THE MIRROR IS FINALLY HERE! Hope you guys are excited, things are about to start kicking up.


	9. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rayla returns home; Viren arrives at the summit; Callum learns about the mirror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh yall, I'm so sorry this took so long. With the hiatus, tdp has kinda fallen off to the wayside when it comes to my interests. I've been seriosuly getting into reading as of late and it takes up much of my time. Not to mention this chapter was difficult for me to write, it includes a lot of context to what characters futures hold and it was a pain to write.
> 
> But its finally done, and I hope you all enjoy!

Rayla stretched her arms above her head as they walked along the overgrown root to get back to the Silvergrove. She couldn’t believe it had already been almost two months since she had last seen her home, so much had changed! She had successfully completed her first assaination attempt and they had brought back the Dragon Prince’s egg. Everything seemed to be going great! Now they were back in the Silvergrove, bound to be regarded as heroes. Rayla’s heart soared, finally she had gotten redemption for her parent’s costly mistake, now she would be looked at as a hero.

Rayla grinned as they finally got to the location where the key dance was done. She got into her place with Runaan and Callisto, while Skor, Andromeda, and Ram got into theirs. The key came easy to her now, she had been doing it her whole life, and had practiced with her team many times before. Now she could perform this dance in her sleep. However, even with that, she still marvelled at the sight of the Silvergrove. The houses suddenly appearing, along with the wrap around staircases, were enchanting. The buildings suddenly reappearing, cloaked in the soft light of dusk, always sent a shiver through her spine. It all screamed of home.

She followed Runaan and the rest of her troupe down the root that entered into the village. Just as she had expected, the moment they stepped off the branch, they were surrounded by their townspeople, welcoming them home and giving them praise for a job well done. Runaan didn’t stop to chat, however, as he briefly acknowledged the others with a nod of his head before walking off. The other assassins stayed behind to regale the villagers with their tale as Rayla followed after him, sure of where he was going. 

As she had thought, Runaan had made a beeline to Ethari's, his husband's, workshop. It had been tradition that whenever he returned back from his mission he visited Ethari first before anyone else. Even something as the egg of the Dragon Prince didn’t seem important in that moment as Runaan stepped through the door, Rayla right behind him. They were immediately engulfed in a tight hug from Ethari, squeezing them with all his might, welcoming them home. 

“Oh, I’m so glad you are ok. I was worried sick, ya know?” He stated as he let go. 

Runaan smiled warmly. “I know, I know, I told you there was nothing to worry about.”

“I worried less about you, love, and more about our little blade. Didn’t cause too much mischief, did you, Rayla?” He smirked, ruffling Rayla’s hair, affectionately. 

Rayla good naturedly pushed his hand away with a smile. “Oh, Ethari, I keep tellin' ya not to worry.”

“Yes, Rayla did well. Wonderfully, for her first mission.” Runaan said proudly.

“He says that, but must he forget that I was the one to find the Dragon Prince’s egg!” Rayla boasted.

Ethari’s eyes widened. “Runnan, she can’t be serious, the egg was destroyed!”

“We thought so as well, but as we escaped the castle, Rayla showed the egg. She got it from the High Mage’s secret chamber.”

“Yeah!” Rayla added. “It was so gross down there, filled with all sorts of materials for their evil magic. I chased the young prince down there, but let him go when I saw the egg. I figured that getting the egg back to safety was more important than the prince.”

“The young prince ended up with his father in the end, so they were both disposed of accordingly. No matter that, the retrieval of the Dragon Prince’s egg was our biggest victory on this mission.” Runaan said.

Ethari nodded. “What are you going to do now?”

"After we’re done here, we will head straight to the council to speak of what happened during the mission, and of Rayla's discovery.” Runaan explained.

Ethari cast his eyes downward. “I see… hopefully the meeting goes well then 

Runaan smiled softly, a smile reserved only for Ethari and his close family. “It won’t be too long, my heart. Afterall. Can’t keep your heart away, now can I?”

Ethari chuckled and softly kissed Runaan, Rayla diverting her eyes to the soft gesture. Once upon a time she would have been disgusted by it, now though she was desensitized. With one final goodbye, the two of them left, Runaan giving Ethari another kiss while Rayla hugged him again. It sucked to say goodbye so soon, but returning the Dragon Prince’s egg was their top priority. Once that was done, they could return home and finally rest.

After they left, Runaan and Rayla made their way to meet with the council to discuss future plans. They also figured it would be worth mentioning that the young prince was now in charge of Katolis, always worth being caught up with the current leaders of the human realms. The council building was lowset, built underneath the towering roots of the great trees that blanketed the Silvergrove. A paved road led up to the grand staircase that led down to a small courtyard where elven dignitaries often met to talk with one another. 

The pair walked past a few elves who gave them friendly nods before turning back to their own conversations. The entrance hall wasn’t grand, but it was beautiful in its simplicity. The roots that the building was built under have grown through the roof overtime, but no one saw the need to fix it. The canopy of leaves above the grove made it so rain was never an issue, same with snow, and it just seemed disrespectful to cut the roots of a tree that had given the grove so much protection. Under an archway created by glowing vines was the council room. Each councilman was seated on stone pedestals that had been carved out of moon crystal, a scared jewel to moonshadow elves that helped protect against evil entities.

Each of the council members regarded them as they strolled into the room. Rayla did her best to look professional and poise, not showing any fear like she was taught, but it was hard when 5 pairs of judgmental eyes landed on you. The council was considered one of the strictest in all of the elvan communities, they ruled over the Silvergrove with an iron fist, ready to enforce rules as they saw fit. Rayla only hoped her discovery would prove herself worthy enough.

"Runaan." The old elf in the middle started. He was a burly elf with a broad chest and structured face, despite his age. His long white hair was parted into two braids that fell over his shoulder, his green eyes as cold and dark as the Moonshadow forest in winter. "I'm pleased to see that you have returned, your mission was a success, then?"

Runaan gave a curt nod in answer. "Yes sir, we have succeeded in our mission. However, above everything, my pupil, Rayla, has discovered something that will change everything."

Another elf, a younger spry female with glittering gold eyes glanced at Rayla with a swaggy smirk. "Well then, I'm eager to hear what that may be."

Runaan nodded at Rayla to show them what she found. With a deep breathe Rayla stepped forward and produced the Dragon Prince's egg from her shoulder bag. The council gasped, their eyes widening as they took in the sight of something that all of them thought had been destroyed forever.

"Is that what I think it is?" The first elf murmured, slowly standing from his chair so he could get closer to examine the egg.

Rayla nodded and choked around her next words. "Yes sir, when I was chasing the young prince through the castle to… complete my task, we ran into the High Mage's secret crypt. There the Dragon Prince's egg was being kept, presumably stolen by the High Mage to use for… dark magic."

The council quickly recoiled at the thought of using an innocent child for something as sinister as dark magic. Rayla continued as they began to murmur among themselves. "The boy got away, but I figured that it was best for me to rescue this egg, even at the cost of our pact. Thankfully, it didn't need to come to that since the boy went to his father and was… finished off alongside him"

Rayla failed to mention that her troupe were not the ones to do the job, figuring that the already difficult situation didn't need to be made more confusing. The council nodded among themselves, which instantly quenched the rising anxiety Rayla had been feeling. Duty was a highly coveted thing within the Moonshadow society, she had been worried that her abandonment of their mission would sully her name, even with her recovery of the egg.

"Well done, young one." The elder in the middle nodded, approvingly. "You've done well training this one, Runaan."

Runaan nodded. "I appreciate the kind words, she has made me proud."

The other council members nodded in agreement. "Now," The younger said. "We need to figure out what to do with the egg, we have to make sure it gets to the Dragon Queen as soon as possible with the best chance of success."

"Well, personally I think this young one should deliver it to our dear Queen Zubeia. She is the one who made the decision to rescue it in the first place!" A different elf with short cropped hair and sparkling red eyes spoke. They had been silent up till now.

The others seemed to consider this. Rayla felt hope leap into her chest, for them to consider her for a task this important, it was such an honor. Runaan placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to settle her. Taking a deep breath, Rayla did her best to appear calm.

The deliberation among the elves ended quickly, each nodding to one another before turning to them. "Very well, Runaan, you and your apprentice have been granted permission to return this egg yourselves. As you were the one to rescue it, we expect you to do your upmost to make sure it gets back to its mother quickly and safely." 

Rayla bit her lip to keep herself from letting out an excited whoop. She bowed to the elves. "I-it's an honor to be trusted with something so important, I promise to guard this egg with my life."

The elves nodded their approval before dismissing them, continuing the conversation quietly with one another. Rayla and Runaan made a speedy retreat. Once they were out of the council chambers, Rayla couldn't hold in her excitement any longer. 

"I can't believe it!" She cheered, nudging Runaan, goodheartedly. "Can you believe they chose me to carry this egg to Zubeia?"

Runaan smiled at his apprentices overexcited shenanigans. "I can believe it. You deserve it with your willingness to put the mission aside to do what was right. I'm really proud of you."

Rayla smiled at her mentor warmly. "Thanks Runaan, you don't know how happy that makes me."

Runaan laughed. "Well I'm glad, cause you're going to be stuck with me for a little longer yet. Are you ready to go get packed." 

Rayla smiled and clutched the egg against her chest, her heart blooming. "More ready than I've ever been. Now, let's get this egg back home."

~~~

Viren sneered as he walked upon the steps up to the meeting point where the rulers of the other kingdoms have gathered since the humans were driven from Xadia. It was a sacred place of unity, where the leaders laid down their arms and met as one force.

Viren didn't have anything to give, he had left his staff in his chambers, unwilling to let some random sentry put it who knows where. He wouldn't need it on this journey anyway, if all went well, the leaders would join together with only a slight nudge in the right direction.

When Viren entered the chambers, he saw three of the other rulers had already arrived. King Florian and Queen Fareda stood slightly apart, wanting to not bring attention to themselves. It figured, the two were just a bunch of doormats, not fit to rule a kingdom in Viren's eyes. King Ahling, the only sensible one here, and a long friend of Katolis, stood gesturing wildly, going on and on about a hunting expedition he had been on the week prior.

When he caught sight of Viren he smiled. "Viren! It is great to see you in good health, I know that I and the others were deeply saddened to hear about King Harrow's passing, as well as his son, Prince Ezran. He was a good man and Ezran was so young, they will be greatly missed."

The other rulers bowed their heads and Viren nodded his head in acknowledgment. "Thank you for your condolences. He left behind big shoes to fill, indeed, and it is always sad when someone so young passes. That is actually why I called you all here, but first, I believe we are missing the regent of Duren?"

"I'm sorry for my lateness." A voice behind them spoke. Viren turned to see a young girl striding into the council room, her back ramrod straight, hands folded neatly in front of her.

"Queen Anaya of Duren, why, how you've grown!" King Ahling smiled warmly, bowing along with the other rulers in greeting.

Viren cleared his throat. "It is a pleasure, your majesty, but will your regent be joining us soon? We have heavy matters that need to be discussed and they require an adult perspective."

Queen Anaya fixed him with a rather annoyed stare. "I speak for myself now, and for my people."

"Aha, yes, while I mean no offense, such matters require an adults perspective, and I think-"

"It seems that I am a crown without an adult, and you are an adult without a crown, let's just begin." The other rulers went to take their seats, leaving Viren fuming. This girl dared… it was no matter, so long as he got the other rulers to agree to what he had to say.

"Very well." Viren did his best to real in his anger. "I've called this meeting, because I… am afraid. The death of King Harrow and Prince Ezran has opened cause for concern. The vile beasts of Xadia will stop at nothing to unhinge all that we have worked for. Over the years, the five human kingdoms have finally found a balance, and Xadia threatens to overthrow this peace we have worked so hard for."

Viren took the large scroll he had trapped along his back and unrolled it across the chamber floor. With a flick of his hand, the five kingdoms rose up, reflecting their shared borders. "I am worried what this attack means, not only for the future of Katolis, but for the future of humanity itself."

Waving his hand, Viren conjured up shadowy images of elves that threatened to cross over the border. "We have received reports that sunfire elves are gaining ground across the breach. They will be at our doorstep anytime now, and then moonshadow elves crossed over and murdered our king and heir with hardly even a blink of an eye. Imagine the carnage these beasts could leave behind if we do not do something about it." He waved his hand once more, displaying a scene of the destruction that could befall them if they did not do something soon.

"What are you suggesting?" King Florian asked, stroking his beard.

"What I am saying is we need to band together. The force of one kingdom is not enough to fight back this threat, but all of us together may stand a chance." He closed his fist and the scene disappeared, leaving the stricken faces of the other rulers staring at the floor. "Give me the men, and I will personally lead an attack against Xadia that will quell any threat they hold against us."

The leaders seemed unsure, but finally King Ahling spoke up. "I am unsure about this… have you spoken to Prince Callum on his affair?"

Viren blinked. "I am not sure what Prince Callum has to do with it, but he has trusted me to assure the safety of humanity. That is why I was chosen as his regent during his time of grief."

King Ahling hummed, still looking unsure. "I am worried about this attack. We rulers have reached a deal and we have experienced peace for the first time in years, it seems it could spark disaster if we rush off to get revenge for a boy who is still raw from grief."

"Hmm, I agree with King Ahling." Queen Fareeda nodded. "With Prince Callum in such a delicate state, perhaps it would be wise for us to take some time, so we can consult him when he has a clearer head."

Viren's heart clenched and he clenched his fists. "Your majesties, I-"

"I also agree with King Ahling and Queen Fareeda. Perhaps we should put this matter on hold until the young prince has had time to mourn his family. That way he can make a decision with less clouded thoughts." King Florian nodded.

The rulers nodded to one another. Viren turned to Queen Aanya who sat silent. "And what say you?" He growled, already knowing the answer.

She stared down at him, her golden eyes as cold as the marble beneath his feet. "I agree with the others. It seems that we will be putting this matter on hold, until Prince Callum feels well enough to take the throne."

The other rulers nodded, leaving Viren feeling stranded, alone. He clenched his fists and swung around the look at them all with a piercing gaze. "You will regret this! You all will pay the price for your inaction, just you wait. Xadia is at our doorstep, and soon it will be on yours. Do not expect Katolis to bail you out…" 

Without another word, he left the rulers behind. He had to ride back to Katolis and figure out how he was going to change the other rulers minds, before it was too late.

~~~

Callum briskly walked down the halls, nodding to any guards on duty. They glanced at him briefly before returning their attention forward. The halls seemed desolate, their stark interior even more depressing after the death of… no he wasn't going to think about that. Think about how the adsense of Ez and King Harrow seemed to cast everything in a dark gloom. 

Shutting his eyes tightly, Callum cast those thoughts away, reassuring himself that hopefully with this mirror, he could avenge them, and bring light once more into the world. As he reached the long corridor that led to the library, he steeled his nerves as to what he might find. If Viren was so interested in this mirror, it must hold some importance, surely.

Opening the doors, he glanced around. The librarian was nowhere to be seen, not that it mattered much, she and him had always gotten along well. Oftentimes, before everything had gone astray, she would give him her recommendations, and after he read then, they could talk for hours about the contents of the book.

Callum walked through the long stretches of books, pondering where he might find information about a mysterious mirror that led to an unknown place. He decided to start back where he left, in the section marked History of Xadia. 

He scanned over the titles, his eyes landing on a book entitled Mysteries of Ancient Xadia. He wasn't sure why it caught his attention, but he figured it was a good place to start. He pulled it off the shelves, coughing as a layer of dust settled over him. Walking over to a nearby table, he sat, flipping through the pages. At first he didn't find anything about the mirror, though Callum was interested in what the book had to say. He made a mental note to come back and look through it, but continued his search. 

As Callum flipped through the pages, he wasn't sure what he was looking for. He figured something like the mirror wasn't so commonplace that he would have trouble finding it, but he saw nothing pertaining to it. What he did find was an entry about a mysterious elf, a leader to many, who suddenly disappeared. He suddenly recalled the Great One that Ziard had mentioned, was this the elf? A passage from Ziard's journal mentioned that the Great One had suddenly vanished, perhaps they were the same.

The Great One… perhaps if he looked more into who he was, he would find his answers. Closing up the book, Callum put it back on the shelf and scanned the books. Nothing caught his eye until he found a book titled The Ancient Greats of Xadian Culture. Sounded promising, better than anything else he had stumbled upon.

Grabbing the book, Callum went back to searching. Unfortunately, this book had the same information as Ziard's journal, leading him nowhere. He grumbled, flipping through the book to the last page. Blinking, Callum's eyes landed on small script in what looked to be ancient Katolan. Rubbing his thumb over it, he wondered what it said. Taking the book with him, he scrambled to find the librarian, she was fluent in the old tongue.

She was where Callum expected her to be, stacking books and making sure they were in the correct order. She turned as Callum walked up to her. "Oh young Prince, it's so good to see you here. It's been too long, good to see you're getting back into reading after… well. Anyway, it's good to see you, did you need any help."

"Thanks, uh, I was wondering if you would be able to read this for me?" Callum mumbled, turning the book to face her. 

She glanced at the page, squinting at the small script. After a minute she huffed and turned around. "That's dark magic, that is. Best not to get tied up in that."

Callum blinked. It was a spell? "What does it say?"

The librarian grumbled. "I'm not going to speak that evil language, but for you young Callum, I'll write it down."

Callum smiled. "Thank you."

They went to her desk where she picked up a quill and carefully copied down the script. She handed it to him reluctantly, leaving him to continue her work. Callum nodded gratefully, returning his attention to the note. It read:

"Hturt eht etanimulli krad eht tel." (Let the dark illuminate the truth.)

Blinking, Callum pondered what that could mean. He gathered up the note and the book, walking back to his seat. He wondered if he could activate this spell, or if it required a specific component. Glancing around, he touched the passage written in the book and closed his eyes, reciting the spell. 

When he opened his eyes, they widened in shock as a page began to appear where the spell had been written. At the top appeared one name: Aaravos.

Callum blinked. Aaravos… was that the Great One? But, before he could look any further, the page began to fade quickly, each letter splintered as though something was tearing them apart before it became blank again. Callum's brow furrowed and he tried the spell again, but this time nothing happened. Frowning, Callum quickly got up, collecting any books about famous elves he could find. He flipped through them all, but any mention of Aaravos vanished instantly, the pages turning black, as though someone had spilled ink all over the page. Whoever this Aaravos was, someone wanted to make sure he was never discovered. 

With an aggravated sigh, Callum pushed the book away. He supposed he could go back to researching the mirror, but suddenly that didn't seem as important as finding out who this Aaravos was. However, that could come at a later date, all this reading and frustration gave him a headache. He quickly cleaned up his area, taking the book with the spell and any notes he collected with him.

Callum trudged through the halls, figuring he could go back to Viren's study and observe the mirror. Something pulled him to it, but he wasn't sure what, but it was a strong urge to uncover its mystery, and best to take advantage of Viren's absence while he could, he doubted once Viren saw the mirror and what it held, Callum would be allowed access. 

As he arrived back at the study, Callum opened the door. As he turned to shut it, a weird feeling fell over him. He blinked, glancing around, before turning to the mirror. His heart leapt into his throat at what he saw, and he cautiously approached. A fire had been started up within the study that the mirror held within, and in front of it stood a man, his back turned.

Callum wasn't sure how he knew, but he was filled with a certainty that this man, was Aaravos


End file.
